A Sweet Surprise

This week is our birthday week.  Mine was Tuesday the 17th and Nate’s is Tuesday the 24th. Nate planned a surprise 24-hr getaway to celebrate.  Late Friday afternoon, I packed a small bag and brought my sense for adventure.  All along the way, Nate kept giving me false clues.  He even took a narrow back-road (unintentionally as I found out later).

When we stopped the car, I recognized one of our favorite destinations — the city of Guanajuato.  We walked down some steep steps until we opened an iron door.  As we entered, Rick, the American owner, welcomed us into his home.  We spent the night at a local bed and breakfast overlooking the city.

After we settled in, we took the free pass to go downtown via cable car.  We enjoyed the atmosphere along with a great meal.

We found out it got pretty chilly overnight as we sat on the balcony in the morning to watch the sunrise. Then we enjoyed a delicious full-breakfast in Rick’s kitchen with two other guests from Washington state.  Then Rick joined us, telling us tales of the city’s history along with some good sightseeing suggestions.

Nate and I spent the day touring Teatro Juarez and the Museo Iconografico.  This museum is a collection of art featuring Don Quijote from around the world; explaining the connection of Don Quijote and Cervantes with Guanajuato.

I am thankful to God for an amazing husband and another year of grace.

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Warm greetings from our hearts to yours as we celebrate our Savior’s birth! This year, the Lord continued to provide us abundant opportunities to serve as his witnesses in sharing the good news of salvation! Some family highlights include: ministry workshop & LATTE student’s graduation in Puebla, a visit from WELS World Missions and Kingdom  Workers’ (WKW) representatives, a LATTE student & former WKW volunteer’s wedding, valid Mexican driver’s licenses, visit from our friend Edie, local ministry activities (family night, remodeling worship area, two confirmations), celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary, our 1st Holy Week & Easter in Mexico, trying new foods and recipes, English Bible studies with mission team, visits to family & friends in Minnesota & Wisconsin, unexpected delay in Bolivia, safari in the Pantanal, mission visit to Brazil, stay with Flunkers in Dourados, mission tour with WELS representatives of current ministries and future outreach  opportunities in Brazil, snorkeling in Bonito, Dad Wagenknecht’s visit, Christmas celebrations, excursion to Cañada de la Virgen pyramid, and lots of precious moments in between.

Nate – teaching seminary courses in the classroom & online, leading a congregational workshop, participating in the WELS worship conference, synod convention, & LATTE meetings.

Julia – reconnecting with friends & contacts in Japan after the earthquake/tsunami/hydroelectric trama, volunteering at the hospital, studying Spanish, substitute teaching (EFL), zumba dance classes, & studying Portuguese.

Stay in touch with us at our blog www.thewagenknechts.wordpress.com. We love hearing from you!

May Jesus continue to be with you in 2012 and beyond!  — Nate & Julia

 

Heading Home

Nate and I woke up early at the hostel in Bonito, MS, Brazil to finish packing our bags. We enjoyed a tasty breakfast, and then caught a van at 7:30 am.  After a four hour commute, we arrived at the airport in Campo Grande.  Then waited until 8:30 pm to check in for our 11:50 pm flight. We had a layover in Santa Cruz, Bolivia; followed by a stopover in La Paz, Bolivia; with another layover in Lima, Peru. One more flight to Mexico City, Mexico; where we passed through customs and immigration with ease and purchased bus tickets for the remainder of our trip.  A bus ride to Queretaro, and then another bus to León.  The final leg of our trip was a taxi ride from the bus station to our home in León.  After 41 hours, we were home!

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. – Psalm 106:1

 

Land and Water

Our final day of vacation in Brazil took us to the Reserva Ecológica Baía Bonita — Aquário Natural – Trilha dos Animais. Nate and I spent half the day in the water and the other half trekking around the nature reserve.

The morning started with a short taxi ride to the reserve.  Upon arrival, we were fitted with a wetsuit and aqua sandals along with snorkel gear. After a little training, we were on a wooden path leading to the spring.  We slowly descended into the refreshing waters, and observed all the fish in this staging area for about 15 minutes.  Then we were off for an hour of snorkeling down the river.  It was amazing following the fish as we dodged trees and coral.

After we all climbed out of the river, the guide led us to a hidden surprise, another lagoon for zip-lining. The rush of adrenaline and the free-fall splash into the water were the perfect combination to end our underwater excursion.

Mid-day, we enjoyed a delicious Brazilian-style meal.  After a nap at pool-side, we ventured off on the wildlife trail.  We met a group of turtles, who weren’t too shy.  Then we toured the animal clinic where we visited a caiman, two owls, and an armadillo.  Then we spotted a caiman hiding in the reeds, along with a couple capybara.  We continued until we found a marsh deer.  As we turned to the other side of the trail, we were thrilled to see an anteater along with an emu.  They did not play nice with each other.  We spent the remainder of the time looking for a Brazilian tapir, but weren’t successful.

We thoroughly enjoyed our days in Bonito, discovering wildlife of land and sea in their natural habitat.

 

On the Fazenda

Another adventure took us to Rio do Peixe, a private ranch offering an exciting excursion.  The day started with a close encounter with a blue macaw, as the owner of the ranch put him on our arm, shoulder, and then head.

Then we met our guide and began a trek across the pasture into a dense forest, along a river.  The entire path was a boardwalk, protecting the plants and trees.

We saw many waterfalls along the way.  There was a cave at the end of the trail with a large lagoon, were many of our group jumped in.  It was a long way down, Nate was more daring than I at this point of the trip.  Then we headed back to the ranch, swimming at each waterfall along the way.

Back at the ranch, we were served a buffet full of typical Brazilian dishes and churrasco.  Afterwards, we were invited to take naps in hammocks.  After 15 minutes, we were all given bananas and sat under a tree.  Within minutes, 20-30 brown Capuchin monkeys appeared.  They began taking our bananas and doing little tricks.  It was hilarious.

Next activity was an afternoon hike in the forest again, stopping at three lagoons.  These swims also included zip-lining.  We would climb up to a high perch, grab onto a bar, push off the platform, and hang on until the guide yelled salto — drop. Quite an exhilarating time!

We headed back to the ranch headquarters where we found more monkeys, a macaw, and two capybara.

 

Under the Sea

Our next adventure led us to a bird park, called Buraco das Araras.  We observed countless blue macaws in their natural habitat, along with many other native birds, including a rare owl.

Then we arrived at Rio da Prata for hours of snorkeling in a crystal clear river.  First, we put on wetsuits and aqua shoes.  Then we jumped into a vehicle with snorkel mask in hand.  We were dropped off in the middle of a forest, and hiked a trail for half an hour to the spring of the river. We saw several monkeys on the trail.  We put on our maskes and gently slid into the water, trying not to disturb the fish or river-bottom.  A guide introduced us to the river and basic snorkeling.  We found our way to the current and floated in a somewhat single-file line.  It was fantastic.  The river was so clear, we could see everything.  The fish swam so close to us, as we floated along the river.  At times, I thought I would get caught in the coral, but it was a bit of an illusion as I floated above it.

There was a bit of a whirlpool which was fun to swim around in.  Then we had to be careful for the next section of the river as the rapids were strong and we needed to stay to the left to catch a rope and pull ourselves to shore to get to land and walk along the river until the river was smooth again.  After we jumped back in, we floated along the rest of the way until we reached the lake where we swam for a bit.  Then we met a truck on land that took us back to the visitors’ center for lunch. While we were eating, an unusual front moved in, bringing high winds and rains.  Everyone scrambled for shelter and waited for a break in the downpour to depart.

It was an amazing day, full of incredible fish and creatures of the sea.

 

Cave Exploration 2

Nate and I went to Grutas do Lago Azul (Cave of the Blue Lake) with the three other guests from the hostel.  We hiked along a trail and then headed down into the cave. The rocks were steep, so we had to descend with sideways steps.

We followed a rocky and slippery path to the bottom of the cave.  It was a bit tricky because as we were going down, another tour group was coming up.

Then we had to wait a while as two models were doing a photo shoot for a perfume ad.  Their camera crew, product, and wardrobe took up most of the available space.

The view was well worth the wait.