All for Paraguay

Photo by Jolanda Jansma

Erik Jan Hill keeps warm with his canine friend during the walkathon for Paraguay at Fairview United Methodist Church.

Photo by Jolanda Jansma

The participants of the walkathon for Paraguay bundle up for a group shot at Fairview United Methodist Church.

The children at Fairview United Methodist Church recently made a statement on behalf of Christians living in Paraguay.

On Nov. 16, the youngsters participated in a walkathon on the property of the church.

Children’s pastor Wil Davenport said the children walked around parking lot of the church for an hour and a half. “The kids made signs with different statistics about Paraguay, such as it is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere outside of Haiti. They clipped them onto their shirts so when people drove by on the road, they saw the signs,” he said.

Davenport said individuals could sponsor the walkers on either a per mile rate or with a flat donation. The children walked for about 90 minutes.

The children’s pastor said that the day of the event was very cold. “I shared with the kids the idea about making sacrifices, and I think it felt more like a sacrifice to the children because it was such a cold day,” he said. “The kids had to freeze for an hour and half in order to raise awareness.”

Davenport said the children are learning about Paraguay because the church has a connection in the country. “There is a school founded by folks connected to our church several years ago, and we continued that relationship,” he said. “Our sixth graders took it on themselves and coordinated the walkathon.”

Between 30 and 40 people participated, and the children raised approximately $800.