Tour Leader’s Blog

The last three days have gone by quickly. On Sunday we were welcomed by the Old Colony Church in Gnadenfeld at their 8:00 a.m. service. We experienced their unique form of singing, praying and preaching. The minister had a very good sermon from Isaiah 53 on discipleship and following Christ. David Friesen preached at the Blumenau Mennonite Church in their 10:30 service.

We learned so much at the Mennonite Museum. The film gave so much information about the settlement in 1922. Dave and Ev wanted to go back and buy copies. When we stopped, others followed their example.

At the Recovery Home Ruth Beitzel was very impressed with their program for men and women. She asked for information as she may wish to refer or recommend the center to some clients in the U.S. The center serves not only Mexico but there were residents from Belize, Paraguay, Bolivia, Canada and the U.S.

As we traveled the highway through the Manitoba Colony on our way to the Ojo de la Vegua Colony, we were in awe at the industry on both sides of the road. Olen asked who buys all this farm equipment. David said that farmers come from all over Mexico because of the good selection available from the Mennonites. At Lowe Farm we had a delightful visit at the Old Colony School. The children were curious when they saw the huge bus pull into their school yard. The Grade 2 students sang and recited for us. Anne, Elfrieda and Mary all had some books and school supplies to give to the principal. What friendly and well-disciplined children!

At Steinreich we visited the Bible School which operates three months each year. The Bible School has 94 students in residence and 100 day students. They come from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

At Campo 7 we visited the state of the art cheese factory where they produce four kinds of cheese: cheddar, gouda, farmers and pepper.They are now FAA approved and as of November 2009 are now exporting cheese to the U.S. We sampled and bought cheese to take home with us.

This evening we had a wonderful supper with the Kroeker family at Gnadenfeld. This family with 7 children and 10 grandchildren welcomed us so warmly. The food was tasty and the grandchildren enjoyed our attention. Lisa, the 17-year-old, organized her family to sing for us. We sang the Doxology for them. Mary’s sentiment echoed for all of us: “These people are filled with so much love.”

Tomorrow we will travel by train to the Copper Canyon. We look forward to spectacular views from the train.

~ Wilmer Martin

Many of our clients have had their tickets reserved for Oberammergau for months and are looking forward to being part of one of our many tours that include a visit to this world-famous Passion Play, performed only every ten years. Some of our tours are already sold out, or nearly completely full.

Other persons have asked us whether they would be able to join us in Oberammergau to see the Passion Play.

We are delighted to announce that we have just made available several mini-packages to Oberammergau. Join us for one or two nights in this beautiful alpine town to enjoy the Passion Play. Tickets are limited, so contact us immediately if you would like to join us.

Last evening our “Visit Mexico and Its Copper Canyon” tour group gathered at the El Paso Marriott Hotel for the orientation dinner and night. This morning our highway coach was waiting for us and we eagerly boarded. David Friesen, our storyteller, told us as we approached the border that the official name of Mexico is the United States of Mexico. Mexico has 30 states.

Our border crossing went smoothly and within 35 minutes we were on our way. We saw the statue of President Benito Juarez who in 1857 secularized Mexico by separating the church and state. He lived in the same time period as Abraham Lincoln.

As we crossed the Samalayuea Desert, David shared stories to help us understand why Mennonites migrated here from Manitoba, Canada and the many challenges they faced at that time.

As we traveled the Pan American Highway, we observed that where there was irrigation, crops would grow, and we saw dairy and buffalo herds. We also enjoyed seeing the more than 100-year-old stone divider fences built prior to the Mexican revolution.

Our late noon meal was at the San Francisco Hotel in Chihuahua. When Bob Balisky wears his cowboy hat from Alberta, he is mistaken for a Mexican. We will have to be careful we don’t lose him!

We arrived at the Tarahumara Inn which will be our home for the next five nights. We were told that it is named after the Tarahumara (meaning “the deer that runs”), the First Nations mountain people who are fast runners. They are very respected by the Mexicans.

Tomorrow we look forward to meeting and worshipping with our Mexican brothers and sisters in the Old Colony Church and also in the Conference Mennonite Church.

~ Wilmer Martin

Our days in New Zealand have gone by quickly. Before we left Dunedin we climbed the steepest street in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Jane did not want Bev to climb so she went ahead with the group. However, Bev had his picture taken at the top with her. What a beautiful view from the top!

We also enjoyed the Rose Garden in the Botanic Gardens of Dunedin. As we crossed the Taieri Plain, the countryside became more rolling with lots of grassland and huge paddocks of sheep, dairy and deer. We observed farmers harvesting grain and moving sheep to other paddocks with sheep dogs. What a picture!

In the town of Clinton we picked up the presidential highway to Gore where we enjoyed lunch in the Old Post Office Cafe. We wondered if President Clinton enjoyed his visit here as much as we did?

On our way to Te Anau, we learned about deer farming and saw many herds. Deer meat and velvet from the antlers are shipped to Japan. Te Anau is the gateway to Fiordland.

On Tuesday we traveled to Milford Sound. Des Jolly, our driver-guide helped us appreciate the Fiordland National Park with stops that allowed us to breath the fresh air, to drink its waters and to take pictures. The cruise on the Fiord was spectacular. The sun and blue sky helped us take good pictures.

Today we enjoyed visiting Arrowtown and watching bungee jumping where it all began in 1987. Everyone volunteered to pay for Shirley to jump but she, even though tempted, did not accept the offer.

Lunch at Mrs. Jones’ Orchard was delicious with such fruits as tasty apricots, cherries, plums and other fruits.

Mount Cook had a scarf and hat on (covered with a cloud) and therefor was not as spectacular as the postcards but still great to see.

We must now pack our suitcases for our flight home tomorrow. We will leave New Zealand in the evening and arrive in Los Angeles the same day but in the morning, the wonder of crossing the international date line.

~ Wilmer Martin

Greetings from New Zealand. This is our third day in this country with 4 million people and 40 million sheep. What a beautiful country with so many shades of green! Tourism is a major industry. All the locals are so welcoming and want to talk with you and are interested in the country where you live.

We enjoyed our drive across the Canterbury Plains. Our favorite driver/guide Des told us that this is New Zealand’s largest farming area. Al Wiens phoned an acquaintance from British Columbia who moved to this area and works for the Canadian company McCain Foods. He told us that the 1,000’s of cows that we saw are part of corporate farms. Many of them have 40-50 thousand cow herds in size.

At the town of Moeraki we walked on the beach to observe the huge boulders. How did they get here on the beach?

In Dunedin we are staying at the Leviathan Hotel, the old hotel across the street from the magnificent railroad station, the most beautiful station in the southern hemisphere.

This morning we worshiped with the First Church of Otago (Presbyterian) for a meaningful service on the first Sunday of Lent.

At the Octagon in Dunedin we enjoyed our lunch while listening to bagpipes being played. Many school and town groups from across New Zealand participated in this contest with a parade taking place this afternoon at 4pm.

We are now enjoying a wonderful sunny ride through the Taieri Gorge on the Otago Central Railway historic train. What a delight!

Tomorrow we leave Dunedin. There is so much more to see on the South Island.

~ Wilmer Martin.