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This weekend was a retreat in Buenos Aires with members of the Lutheran churches from Argentina and Uruguay. About 40 people from all over Argentina and 1 (me) from Uruguay came to share and learn about ways other churches in the area are reaching out to the communities they are a part of. Programs that some of the churches run include a day care center for parents that work, camps for children in the summers, going to underdeveloped communities and doing Bible studies and leading discussions on what people there can do to improve their ways of life, and simply being with the community members to accompany them. It is great to see that there are projects to get the church into the communities. The idea is not to get the people they are working with to become a "member" of their churches, but to just love their neighbors and SHOW God's love to these people and expect nothing in return.
I got together this weekend with the 3 other volunteers and our country coordinator, Kate. We started our weekend visiting ESMA (a navy petty officers school of mechanics), which was an illegal detention center during the Dirty War in times of the dictatorship in Argentina. Standing in the very spot where these kidnapped people were housed and experienced the unimaginable was a very somber experience. It was shocking to be in this school and be able to see the city's bustling streets (just like they were when this was going on). http://www.memoriaabierta.org.ar/eng/camino_al_museo_entrevistas.php Check that out to read more about this.
It was odd speaking English after going two months speaking little English to the people around me, but it was nice to not have to think so hard about what I wanted to say.
I am starting to see a difference in the basketball skills at La Obra, and some (definitely not all) of them are excited to learn. In the Centro de Estudios, I love working one-on-one with the students. They seem to understand me when I try to explain how to do a Math problem or when we work in English.
Yesterday, I received a prayer shawl from the members of First Lutheran! I just can't express how grateful I am! It is beautiful, and it reminds me of the huge family I have in West Virginia! Thank you for all of the prayers that were sent with the shawl.
I am going to Minas, Uruguay with a group of young adults from the Waldensian Church this weekend after we celebrate a few birthdays tomorrow evening. They all tell me Minas is beautiful, so I am excited to go.
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It was great to hear about the prayer shawl. I am sure you can feel the warmth and love.
When you wrote about the basketball team, it made me think about prayer jerseys. It might be a idea for those hard to make shots.
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