Semana numero One

I am learning so much down here. On Monday, we went to Retiro (the train station) for the first time. Immediately my attention went to a little boy who was dragging himself along the train station floor. He was a beautiful kid, about a year old, but he was totally filthy. He was covered in dirt, and it was a heartbreaking introduction to the situation of the people living there. His mother greeted all of us with a kiss, and we sat down on the floor with her and her family, and another woman. I was expecting awkwardness, mistrust; suprisingly, there was none of that. We talked for a while, a couple more people came along to join us, we played cards for a while (Egyptian Ratscrew! Thanks Sarita for teaching me that game). A couple of little kids were running around, climbing all over us and coloring on some paper that we brought.
One of the women we were with was filling out a word search (they seem to love word searches). She seemed older, in her early 20s maybe, and she was asking for our help filling them out. Soon enough we found out she couldnt read, and didn't know her letters, and had no clue where to circle. That was heartbreaking too.
Leaving was hard. I kept thinking of efficiency--what they need is a bath, education, housing, a stable job. It was discouraging to think that my presence there couldn't mean much, that I could only be a witness to their suffering. They DO need these concrete things, and if I were to give each one of them a house there would be thousands more who needed one as well; it's overwhelming. But the more I think about it, the more humbled I am. In a sense, it matters that we were sitting there on the floor with them. One thing I think I take for granted is that I always have people reminding me that I'm worthwhile, that I matter, that I have value and dignity. The people begging at Retiro and the little kids playing on the floor probably don't hear that very often. They spend their day being ignored by thousands of passersby. And to have a group of people stop, sit, and value their time might seem small, but for those who never hear that they matter, it's necessary. Its how God works, I think. Starting small (he came as a baby, after all). Love can come in tiny packages, and my prayer for now is that he can take our tiny love and make it something deeper.

Tuesday was our first visit to the villas. We went to Villa Flores 1-11-14, where a tiny church (Iglesia Esperanza) has been reaching out to one of the most violent slums in the city for 19 years. We met with the pastors (Pablo and Sarah Chang) before going into the villa--they moved from Korea to Argentina, learned Spanish from scratch, and are now raising three little girls in the slums in spite of Sarah's battle with cancer and the risk of a crime-ridden and drug-infested environment. Their lives are so selfless, and their faith is really big.
In the villas, the 'mini-Europe' I'd heard so much about disappeared. None of the streets were paved, about 95% of the people have darker skin and are from other countries, and all of the buildings are made with red bricks and mortar. But in the church, when we started our English classes, the rooms filled up with kids who were so eager to learn. They took notes, responded enthousiastically to every word. They were such good kids, and it's crazy thinking that they've probably been through a lot more than I know. Afterwards, two older women (one from Peru and one from Bolivia) gave us homemade bread pudding and milanesas (steak and bread). They showed a hospitality that put mine to shame. The neighborhood might be run by druglords and full of poverty, but God is there too. For sure.

Please pray for:
-One of the babies on the street who has seizures.
-The families on the street, there are so many kids who sniff glue and spend their days high. Please pray that they can understand how valuable they are.
-Our lessons at the villas- pray for relationships to be built, and for something positive to come out of it all.
-Our conversations from the book studies and reading assignments; there's a lot we can learn and grow from there, but it takes clarity. Pray for ideas from our end--since this is a new field, there are so many ways that the outreaches can grow, so pray that we can put our intellect and gifts and creativity to use in a sustainable way.

Pictures will come soon! Im working on it. Thank you guys for reading and for praying.