October Newsletter

Things are already in full swing for me in Montevideo and I am seeing God at work every day. I have been staying busy tutoring in Math and English, teaching English, playing with kids of all ages, teaching basketball and volleyball, helping with Bible studies at the church and in the community, meeting people, participating in a young adult group and making friends! I have been in South America for 8 weeks. It seems like just yesterday that I arrived. Everyone has been so welcoming and I feel like a part of a family here.

I am splitting my time between work at Nuestro Salvador Lutheran Church and La Obra Ecumenica Barrio Borro.

Nuestro Salvador is a part of the Iglesia Evangelica Luterana Unida (IELU) in South America. The IELU is a sister church to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The church was built by Lutheran missionaries 50 years ago. It is the only Lutheran church in Montevideo. The church was built with the expectation that the attendance would grow rapidly after the construction of the church, but that is not the case. The average attendance is about 15-20. It makes for a much more intimate worship service and the members feel free to discuss the scriptures of the day and share their prayer requests during the worship service. Since the church building has much more space than needed, it also houses a dentist office, and many dance and yoga classes throughout the week. Wilma Rommel is the pastor at Nuestro Salvador. She has taken me into her family like her oldest daughter. She has two children. Sebastian is 17 and Karin is 20. Her husband, Alvaro is a pastor in a Waldensian church a few blocks down the street.

La Obra Ecumenica Barrio Borro (http://www.obraecumenica.org.uy/inicial.htm all in Spanish) is a religious-based community center with four projects. One is a study center for high school students. They can come in the mornings (they don't go to school until 1pm) and get tutored in any subject. Claudio and Virginia are full time tutors and I am there on Wednesday and Thursday for Math and English. The second is a women's project where women who did not finish school can come to learn what they missed. Third is a group of 15-18 year olds who chose to not continue with schooling. Continuing with school is optional for the last three years of high school. The fourth is the young children's club. School ends for them at noon, so they come to La Obra from 1-5:30. Here, it is set up like a school, there are two classes. One for the youngest kids 5-9 and one for the older kids 10-13. They have classes Monday-Wednesday, field trips every Thursday, and sports and crafts on Friday. Every day the kids are fed a snack before they leave. I spend Wed-Fri with this group.

Last Wednesday week in La Obra Ecumenica we had a "Fiesta de Primavera" which is a Spring party. Lots of the kids came in dressed as butterflies, flowers or other Springy things. They were so cute. Another day last week, we took a field trip to the post office downtown. We are doing a letter exchange with my friend, Alicha Farley's class. We wrote letters in English and drew pictures to send to her students. When I asked the kids what we needed to address an envelope a few of them said a phone number. I don't think many of them have ever received or sent a piece of mail. When we went to the post office, we were met by a woman who explained to us how mail is sorted, sent and received. She gave them each a card with prepaid postage on it so they will be able to write a letter to someone in Uruguay for free.

Last Saturday, I went with Wilma to do a Bible study with the group of young boys. I made a tablet with the 10 Commandments, and I got to work with them a good bit while Wilma talked to their mother. We matched each one to "Our relationship with God" or "Our relationship with others." They had a good time doing this, and I was pretty happy that it went over well. I look forward to working more with this group. The boys always are eager to learn and read the Bible. It is wonderful to see and feel their desire to study the Bible and grow in their faith.

In my free time, I update my blog. The website is http://maryrk45.blogspot.com There is a lot there that I did not add in the newsletter. I enjoy keeping everyone updated on what is happening in Uruguay. It is a great reminder that God is at work across the World. It is a blessing every day to see God's hand at work in Uruguay. I encourage you to visit my blog site and to also read the blogs of other YAGMs. I have their sites linked to mine on the left hand side of my blog if you scroll down. I also have pictures posted here: http://community.webshots.com/user/maryrk45
I really enjoy hearing from friends back home, so feel free to send me an update!
I have received several cards from people back home and they are all hanging on my wall in my apartment.