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Galletas de Huevo

July 5, 2009 | posted by Lars under bolivia, recipes | Comments (1)

Our last night in Bolivia was spent with the Redekop family on Colonia El Palmar, a Low German-speaking Mennonite colony 100 kilometers from the Bolivia-Paraguay border.  We had a very pleasant - albeit short - time with the family of eight; we hope that they are sharing the same sentiments.  Suffice it to say that the visit was a bit of an intercultural experience (picture two sweaty, dirty guys in spandex walking their bikes down a dirt driveway at dusk to meet a family that knows hard work well, but knows it in overalls and cape dresses), but also that we found common ground quite quickly.  (”You read about us in a Mennonite newsletter from Canada? No way!”  The article was several months old, and they had just been talking about us recently, they said, and thought we must not be coming.  Go figure.)

For breakfast, they shared coffee, fresh milk from their dairy cows, bread, and galletas de huevo - or filled egg cookies - with us before we all began our day’s work.  They were more than willing to share the recipe for the cookies with me, and we had a good time translating the handwritten card from German into Spanish.  Though traditionally eaten for breakfast in the Redekop family, I would imagine that these cookies could be put on a dessert table without much complaint.

Galletas de Huevo (gayehtas de wayvo)
from the Redekop family, in the Bolivian Chaco

4 c sugar
1 c heavy cream
1 1/2 c milk
2 c butter
2 T vanilla
2 T baking soda
3 t baking powder
6 eggs
flour & sesame seeds to taste

Place on baking sheets in 3″ circles and bake (at 350F-ish for 10ish minutes? They weren’t sure. Until lightly browned).

Cookie Filling

2 c milk
1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
1 t salt
1 t vanilla

Add cocoa to taste, if desired.  Cook for 10 minutes in a saucepan; should thicken to a spreadable consistency.

Spread an ample layer (5mm) of creamy cookie spread on the bottom of one galleta and top with a second galleta to create a galleta sandwich.  Makes one tubfull.

Nine days!

June 30, 2009 | posted by Lars under bolivia, gys, mwc, updates | Comments (9)

It’s hard to believe after nearly 6 months of traversing the American macrocontinent that in nine days we’ll be rolling into Asunción, the day before the Global Youth Summit begins on July 10.  In order to make this journey manageable, I’ve taken it day by day and section by section.  Now, with the end of our ride very much on the horizon (not literally, yet; though much of the chaco is flat), there are many thoughts, large and small, running through my head.  More on those may come later; for now, a bit on our time in Santa Cruz.

We had a wonderful extended weekend in Santa Cruz spending time with the two Mennonite churches in the city and with MCC Bolivia, which has its headquarters and much of its present work there as well.  Saturday evening, we were able to get together with some of the youth who are planning to attend the youth summit and world conference assembly for an interesting and lively time of fellowship and discussion on the theme of the summit, which will be ”service: live the difference.“  Their final fundraiser for their trip was a meal the next day after church, which we (and many from both churches) gladly joined them for.  I didn’t hear how much was raised, but it surely seemed like a (delicious) success to me.

It’s amazing to think of all the people who have been making preparations to be a part of this assembly.  By this point, the first of many trails from around the world are no doubt beginning to converge on Asunción to prepare for the swarms which will follow.  More incredible yet, we who will be in attendance will only be representatives of diverse Anabaptist congregations from many disparate communities around the globe; and we Anabaptists, only one of many confessions of faith in the same triune God, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth.  I can only imagine, that, as one of the youth on Saturday - a YAMENera from Zimbabwe, who was at Assembly 14 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - said, of the assembly, “it must be a little taste of what heaven will be like.”

In order to make the assembly more financially accessible to all, registration is based on a fair share principle, where fees are pro-rated according to basic costs of living in one’s home country.  Beyond that, there are travel funds to assist delegates who have been chosen by their church conferences as representatives to the general assembly and youth summit (for North American readers, in this context, church conferencesrefers to members of the MWC - MCUSA and MCCanada would each be such a conference).  For those of you who have browsed this site or spoken with us, you know that helping raise money for the global youth travel fund is part of the goal of this bike ride; for those who haven’t, you’ve been informed.

We tend not to make solicitations, but several times throughout our journey churches have spontaneously taken offerings for our trip expenses, which has both surprised and humbled us.  Our expenses largely being covered (and being relatively low), these offerings have been designated for the global youth travel fund.  On one occasion about two and a half months ago, a small church gave us what they called “a small gift,” lavishing us with US$50.  I couldn’t help but think what it would be like if each of the 939 Mennonite churches in the USA were to contribute $50 to help youth from around the world attend the gathering in Asunción.  That $50,000 alone would easily cover the fund’s remaining goal as of last January of $30,000 (the most recent data I have); and that doesn’t even begin to include Mennonite congregations outside the United States, or Brethren in Christ churches anywhere.

Whatever your accounting of $50 is - whether it’s your dream, your bank account or your pocket change - big things are easily achieved with the contributions of many.  If you’d like to make a donation - in any amount - to the global youth travel fund, click here or on the icon on the left sidebar of this (or any) page.

Meanwhile, back on the Altiplano…

June 20, 2009 | posted by Jon under bolivia, reflections, updates | Comments (6)

Altiplano: (high plain) An extensive plain that sits at around 11,000 feet above sea level and occupies parts of Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Ecuador, the altiplano is the largest high plateau in the world except for that of the Himalayas in Tibet (Wikipedia).

Besides pondering how many pounds of dirt and rock were underneath our wheels as we rode through this high plain, these past three weeks bring so many rich and varied experiences to mind that I am at a loss as to how to tie them all together, so I will call upon the help of the three photo albums that we just posted to supplement the small tidbits I will leave you with below, in more or less of a chronological order.

• While in Cusco, we had the privilege of staying with Shultz Family, missionaries there with EMM who are closely tied with the Mennonite church in Cusco as well as PROMESA, a Mennonite affiliated bilingual school begun in 2005.  Looking back on it, our time with the Shultz´s was, I think, one of our most comfortable long term stays on this trip.  By the time we left (8 days later), I essentially felt like a member of the Shultz family, and was continually amazed by the quality of the home cooked food that came out of their kitchen.  The hospitality didn´t end when we left either, as we were sent off with 4 sandwiches, 6 homemade bagels, trail mix, dried apples, 8 peppermint patties, and a variety of fresh fruits.  Lars and I talked about how our experience with the Shultz Family provided us with an excellent example of how to be hospitable to others in our own homes when we return to the US.

• Almost three days of riding outside of Cusco, along the northern shores of Lake Titicaca, we had the good fortune to stumble upon a local government capacitation initiative to teach women from the outskirts of Puno how to naturally dye alpaca yarn to use in knitting various handmade clothing articles to see in the artisan markets in Puno and elsewhere.  It was wonderful to see all of the colors, to chat with the women, and to share with them the excitement of learning a new skill.  They also shared with us some wonderful potatoes (baked in the earth), which we dipped into two delicious sauces, one which was also made of earth (see a theme here?).  We left this roadside capacitation project full of hope for these women and more sure than ever that the best way to encounter interactions like this is by traveling slowly, by bicycle.

• Leaving Puno, we encountered our first paro, or strike.  This strike was a nationwide initiative to call attention to deals the Peruvian government was making with international corporations in the selva, or rain forest portion of Peru that gave the corporations basically free reign over the land, with little regard or consultation to the people actually living there.  We encountered people demonstrating, making speeches, and many sparkling shards of broken glass and rocks on the road, which made for nice traffic-free riding

• Arriving in the tiny town of Acora after dodging glass shards and spending our last few minutes of daylight, we sought out the local parish, but were disappointed to find no one there.  A few minutes later a priest came running up to the door, hurrying us inside, telling us we were crazy for being out here in this cold, doing what we were doing.  Many cups of coca tea and pieces of bread with fried eggs later, we learned that Victor, a German priest that had lived in Altiplano for many years, was not your typical Catholic priest.  He was living way out in the campo, helping the farmers to manage their crops and livestock in ways that made sense, were inexpensive, and provided better yields in an already harsh environment.  Victor was one of those people that it was just easy to connect with, and we thoroughly enjoyed talking to him before we retired to our cozy room for the evening, only to have Victor knock on the door and gift us each with some German chocolate sent by his mother.  It was delicious, but even more so for the generosity involved.

• Fast-forwarding to the more recent, after memories of fiery sunsets over Lake Titicaca (yes, our camera batteries DID run out right at that moment), seeing friends in La Paz, and an exhilarating descent into the Cochabamba Valley, we arrived in downtown Cochabamba, where we were met by Natalia, an SPI participant who offered to host us after hearing about our trip.  Our stay with them has been a blessing, especially since I have been battling a rather fierce GI bug for the last few days.  However, I can report that things are improving, and that I am well hydrated after 1.5 L of Mandarin Gatorade, 2 L of sugar/salt water, and a variety of soups and broths made by our wonderful hosts.

So what is to be taken from each of these experiences?

Notice the people around you.  Open your house to them. Teach them something new.  Provide them with new work. Stand with them in injustices.   Usher them in from the cold.  Live with them out in the sticks. Give them part of your mother´s care package.  Care for them when they are ill.

These are lessons that I have learned from the past three weeks, but only because I was on the receiving end of almost all of them.  May I (we) have the courage of employ such practices in our own lives, so that others may be on the receiving end of God´s provision.

The Andes, visually

June 20, 2009 | posted by Lars under bolivia, peru, photos | Comments (4)

	Cusco, Peru & surroundings May 31-June 8, 2009
			Cusco to Puno, Perú June 8-10, 2009

	Puno, Perú to La Paz,Bolivia June 11-13, 2009
			La Paz to Cochabamba,Bolivia June 14-17, 2009