Today I learnt a little of Marilyn’s family history — and suddenly Filadelfia felt like so much more than a town.
The Mennonites began in the Netherlands more than 500 years ago. Their beliefs included living peacefully and traditionally refusing to participate in war.
Religious persecution eventually forced many to leave, first settling in Poland and later Ukraine, where their language evolved into the Low German dialect still spoken by many Mennonites today.
Then came Stalin. Mennonite families were caught up in collectivisation and persecution. Their land and possessions were taken, families were separated, and many were arrested, deported or killed.Marilyn’s great-grandparents were considered “wealthy” because they owned two carts and employed one person — hardly a millionaire lifestyle! Sadly, they were among those who were killed.
Others managed to escape, eventually making their way to Paraguay in the early 1930s. They arrived in the harsh Chaco and somehow turned an unforgiving landscape into thriving communities.
Marilyn has lived in Paraguay all her life.So behind the friendly woman showing me around Filadelfia is a family story of faith, loss, courage and survival spanning more than five centuries.
And suddenly, those Mennonite buildings and quiet streets seem to carry a whole lot more history.