We must have been quite a spectacle, singing on the subway station floor. There were 5 norteamericanas and maybe 8 street kids, some pregnant teenagers and some toddlers and everybody singing at the top of their lungs. Minutes before, they had been huffing glue, and the smell was still strong. But at least during the songs, they were clapping and belting out lyrics and laughing instead. We played guitar down there for a solid hour or so. Quite a few Argentinean passers-by stopped to ask who we where and what we were doing; a couple stopped and sang with us. And as we sang 'cambiare mi tristeza, cambiare mi verguenza', and as we sang about seeing things change, I knew things were changing. In the middle of alcohol and drugs and dirty skin and clothes, I think God was there, somehow.
God's in the villa, too. After class on Friday, one of my students' mom made us this traditional paraguayan cornbread, and sat and talked with us for a while. She has 6 kids, and has lived in the slum for a while now; she goes to the Esperanza church, sings with the music team, takes English classes with Jeremiah. (The pastor's wife, Sarah Chang, calls him 'misionero Jeremias' and we think it's hilarious, so we all call him that too). She wants so badly for things to change in her villa. It's pretty bad: people from the outside usually never go in because they'll get robbed, kids will sell what they rob for pasta base (this drug that's essentially a cheap and more toxic version of cocaine), addicted to drugs and violence their future looks pretty dim. But talking to her was more hopeful than depressing. She writes theater, and it's theater about living a different way. She shared with us about times when they performed her plays in parks, the emotional reactions that people had. She's got six kids in a slum, and she still believes that creativity can change things. She still takes the time to share her food with us. I may be teaching the kids here action verbs in English, but these families are teaching me what true faith & generosity can look like. I'm humbled, to say the least.
And I'm also learning a lot from my church. The Iglesia Bautista Evangelica de Constitucion (I don't think I've actually told you guys the name of the church! My bad.) is a pretty eye-opening place. I'd say between about 1/4 and about half of the committed members are homeless, or have been homeless in the recent past. We eat together after church every week, and I'm always amazed by how much they know. Most of them are oldish men, and I'm often surprised when they have more insights on American politics than I do; a lot of them are really bright. They've been through a lot more than me, and have a lot to teach. In Sunday morning bible study this week (I used to sleep through them, but apparently since I'm living at the church I have to go. Whoops.), we read in James: "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?" Laura (who lives in the room below me and who is becoming a wonderful friend to Megan and I) spoke up about what it was like for her to sleep on the streets, and how she could only sleep for an hour or so at a time during the day to make sure she wouldn't get robbed. Everyone then talked about different ways that it can be easy to 'exploit' and show prejudice, and how maybe we can live a different way. The bible talks a LOT about poverty, and it makes so much more sense to read through it with people who have lived that experience.
So basically, I'm learning a lot.
Prayer...
Gratitude because I'm HEALED! I went from vomiting to snotting to coughing, and now my cough is slowly but surely dying away. And gratitude for Nacho Libre--some of you know that it's my favorite movie ever, and we watched a bootleg copy from peru the other day. We only watched the first half because the second part, from the party scene on, kept freezing. Oh well.
Pray for hope. In individuals lives; seeing them huff glue at the train station was hard for me. Pray for us to be able to share what hope we have with them when they don't have any.
One of the families we've gotten really really close to is about to have a baby, this Thursday in fact. Pray for all to go well with that! It'll be the third kid, a baby boy. A whole lot of responsibility. Especially when their job is selling newspapers a voluntad in the train station.
Pray for depth. It's kind of vague I guess, but I feel like I'm experiencing some really amazing community with the staff and volunteers, and I want to grow that community to fully include the kids on the street, and the families at the villa. It's happening already, but prayer doesn't hurt.
Thank all of you for reading this. :) I want to put up pictures, but someone accidentally deleted all the pictures from my camera (everythings in English, and most people here don't speak any), so I'm now starting from scratch. Sorrry...
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
One Month In
During these initial days down here, I think I carried a good amount of naivete and idealism with me. True, loving relationships can break down cultural and socioeceonomic barriers and create reconciliation, and I still think it's true that God helps us do that... but there are a lot of walls that still need to be broken down. Earlier this week, one of the guys was sitting with Megan and Fiorella and I in the church (Fiorella is a Peruvian environmental science student who is also living there with us), and he asked for some music, so we played guitar and sang for a bit. After a couple of songs, the tone switched, and got pretty serious. He started to talk about his strong dislike of everything that was affiliated with the United States, his deep mistrust of Yanquis, his disdain for immigrants and foreigners and anything that wasn't from his own nation, Argentina. He talked about how strange it was for him to get to know us, and to see that our faith was sincere, and how he has slowly come to realize that there are good people who live in the States, and good people from Peru, and good people from Bolivia too. It was an intense conversation, and eye-opening for me to see just how much mistrust and resentment has been built up between nationalites over years of economic exploitation, immigration, and inequality. But it was cool to see how something as simple as friendship and music could begin to break those down.
A lot of conversations I've been having lately have revolved around those issues. Racism is pretty rampant in Buenos Aires, it seems, as those with darker skin claim that white Argentineans are the ones with money, and that the standard of beauty clearly favors white skin over dark skin. Immigration is pretty big as well; 'Boliviano' and 'Peruano' are common insults, and Argentineans will take offense if they're associated with those immigrant communities. Just like any big city, it's a complicated place, and there's a lot of baggage behind relationships here.
Which is why the retreat last weekend was particularly amazing. The theme was social inclusion, and a lot of the people who went weren't necessarily church-going people, so lots of fruitful conversation came out of it. 6 of the people from the streets ended up coming, along with three other guitarists and hundreds of empanadas. We spent the first night watching a movie about an Ethiopian refugee growing up in Jerusalem (the film started at 1am and ended at 3:30, so I was pretty sleepy while I was watching it, but it was really good. In Spanish the title is Ser Digno de Ser, if any of you are interested in checking it out), and spent the next two mornings talking about what a truly inclusive church could look like, and how to affirm self-identity in the middle of marginalization, and how to serve not just through handouts but through genuine relationships. On top of the 'charlas', there was lots of time to just hang out. I was hoping there would be music, and there definitely was. I'm trying to learn Argentinean songs--turns out a lot of them speak about social realities in the country, and abuses under the dictatorship, really deep stuff. One of the songs I brought with me, something I had learned in the Dominican Republic called 'La Niña de Tus Ojos', turned out to be especially well-received. It fit well with the theme of the retreat...the words are pretty simple:
Me viste a mi cuando nadie me vio
Me amaste a mi cuando nadie me amo
Y me diste nombre. Yo soy tu niña, la niña de tus ojos
Porque me amaste a mi...
You saw me when noone saw me
You loved me when noone loved me
And you gave me a name...I am the apple of your eye, because you loved me...
For me, it's a basic concept in my faith: God is love, God loves us, we are valuable. But the people at the retreat, especially the people from the streets, really really loved it. The Retiro kids kept asking me to write the words down for them; one of the guys learned how to play all the chords on the guitar; we even sang it as a group in the trains on the way back to Buenos Aires. It was pretty cool to see music used to encourage and affirm people in that way.
I also brought the guitar to the train station for the first time this week. It went really well. I think I'll be bringing it more often. There seemed to be a lot of younger kids there (10, 12, 13) recently; going to the train station is always a bit of an adventure, since we never know who we're going to see.
And for those of you who like to pray...
Pray for the Encuentro this week. The big slumber party at the Church, from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon. It's a pretty nice chance for everyone to hang out in a safe (and drug-free) environment, so pray that it would be good.
Pray for the 'servant team project'. Each volunteer has the chance to develop and express a new idea and make a concrete contribution to the work here during these four months, and the possibilities are wide-open. I think I'm going to be spending more time on it soon; I'm thinking about visiting other organizations in the area that work with poor families and homeless youth, to get a grip on the work that's alread being done among this community and to look at ways that Word Made Flesh could partner more concretely with them. So I'll need a bit of guidance on that :)
Keep praying for the villa! I think I'm getting better at teaching, which is great; the kids are actually retaining information, AND I think they're having fun. Its a really cool thing that they get to participate in something like this, so pray that we can keep doing the best job we possibly can.
And pray for me. Ive been a bit under the weather these past few days, throwing up everything I eat and staying in bed. I'm feeling a lot better today, but I'm definitely not at 100% either, so throw up a few prayers for that.
And hit me back with prayer requests from you! I also care about what's going on in your lives, so email me back :)
TINA
A lot of conversations I've been having lately have revolved around those issues. Racism is pretty rampant in Buenos Aires, it seems, as those with darker skin claim that white Argentineans are the ones with money, and that the standard of beauty clearly favors white skin over dark skin. Immigration is pretty big as well; 'Boliviano' and 'Peruano' are common insults, and Argentineans will take offense if they're associated with those immigrant communities. Just like any big city, it's a complicated place, and there's a lot of baggage behind relationships here.
Which is why the retreat last weekend was particularly amazing. The theme was social inclusion, and a lot of the people who went weren't necessarily church-going people, so lots of fruitful conversation came out of it. 6 of the people from the streets ended up coming, along with three other guitarists and hundreds of empanadas. We spent the first night watching a movie about an Ethiopian refugee growing up in Jerusalem (the film started at 1am and ended at 3:30, so I was pretty sleepy while I was watching it, but it was really good. In Spanish the title is Ser Digno de Ser, if any of you are interested in checking it out), and spent the next two mornings talking about what a truly inclusive church could look like, and how to affirm self-identity in the middle of marginalization, and how to serve not just through handouts but through genuine relationships. On top of the 'charlas', there was lots of time to just hang out. I was hoping there would be music, and there definitely was. I'm trying to learn Argentinean songs--turns out a lot of them speak about social realities in the country, and abuses under the dictatorship, really deep stuff. One of the songs I brought with me, something I had learned in the Dominican Republic called 'La Niña de Tus Ojos', turned out to be especially well-received. It fit well with the theme of the retreat...the words are pretty simple:
Me viste a mi cuando nadie me vio
Me amaste a mi cuando nadie me amo
Y me diste nombre. Yo soy tu niña, la niña de tus ojos
Porque me amaste a mi...
You saw me when noone saw me
You loved me when noone loved me
And you gave me a name...I am the apple of your eye, because you loved me...
For me, it's a basic concept in my faith: God is love, God loves us, we are valuable. But the people at the retreat, especially the people from the streets, really really loved it. The Retiro kids kept asking me to write the words down for them; one of the guys learned how to play all the chords on the guitar; we even sang it as a group in the trains on the way back to Buenos Aires. It was pretty cool to see music used to encourage and affirm people in that way.
I also brought the guitar to the train station for the first time this week. It went really well. I think I'll be bringing it more often. There seemed to be a lot of younger kids there (10, 12, 13) recently; going to the train station is always a bit of an adventure, since we never know who we're going to see.
And for those of you who like to pray...
Pray for the Encuentro this week. The big slumber party at the Church, from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon. It's a pretty nice chance for everyone to hang out in a safe (and drug-free) environment, so pray that it would be good.
Pray for the 'servant team project'. Each volunteer has the chance to develop and express a new idea and make a concrete contribution to the work here during these four months, and the possibilities are wide-open. I think I'm going to be spending more time on it soon; I'm thinking about visiting other organizations in the area that work with poor families and homeless youth, to get a grip on the work that's alread being done among this community and to look at ways that Word Made Flesh could partner more concretely with them. So I'll need a bit of guidance on that :)
Keep praying for the villa! I think I'm getting better at teaching, which is great; the kids are actually retaining information, AND I think they're having fun. Its a really cool thing that they get to participate in something like this, so pray that we can keep doing the best job we possibly can.
And pray for me. Ive been a bit under the weather these past few days, throwing up everything I eat and staying in bed. I'm feeling a lot better today, but I'm definitely not at 100% either, so throw up a few prayers for that.
And hit me back with prayer requests from you! I also care about what's going on in your lives, so email me back :)
TINA
Thursday, September 3, 2009
slumber parties and fiestas and lessons learned.
'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God...But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.'
I had read that passage a bunch of times before. It's part of the Beatitudes according to St. Luke, and the first half is one of Jesus' most famous quotes. But yesterday morning was the first time I've read through those verses with a group of people who live on the street. The words became much more real to me in that particular Bible study. We read 'blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied', and one of the guys commented on being denied bread from a local panaderia time and time again. We read 'bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you' and they reacted with shock, claiming that it doesn't make sense to let people walk all over you if you already feel taken advantage of as it is. I listened as they talked about what it even looks like to treat one another in a different way, 'do to others as you would have them do to you', rich and poor alike. Looking at Christianity and at Jesus' teachings down here, alongside people who aren't able to give their children baths and who work begging change for a living, definitely puts this message in a different light. I'm learning a lot down here so far...for now more questions than answers, but when I have some more words I'll for sure try to share all my thoughts with you all.
Tuesday and Wednesday was the bimonthly 'Encuentro', where Walter picks up a group of people from the train station and brings them to the church, where we eat dinner, watch movies, play games, sleep, and have a group discussion the next morning over yerba mate before lunch. This time, around 13 or so people came, mostly guys and girls in their late teens, with three toddlers in tow. It's so good to be able to get to know them all better. One of the highlights was definitely seeing the little girls take baths, and watching them play without the dirt and muck of the streets. Those kids don't have very much stuff, just one dirty Barbie backpack full of plastic spoons and toy dinnerware between the three of them, but they certainly have plenty of energy...None of them went to bed before 12 or 1am.
The Friday before, the church had a fiesta at Pastor Juan Jose's house, a sort of outreach to prepare for a young adult retreat that's happening this weekend where people can come and get to know each other. Now I've been to church parties in the states--there's some line dancing (if it's southpoint), some talking and laughing, and it's over at 11, at the latest. This party started at 11, and we weren't done until 5:30 in the morning. The people here don't sleep! And they don't stop dancing. Cumbia, salsa, quarteto, I dunno what else they danced but it was a lot. Afterwards, a bunch of us sat in a circle and played guitar, sang, and talked until the pastor went to bed at 5:30. The culture here seems to put a lot of value on conversations and spending time relating to people, talking to one another. I love it.
More tidbits about Argentina... So far I've learned that a lot of young people here really seem to like rock music, and all of their favorite songs sound like stuff from the 80s. I've learned that the Argentinean version of scattergories is the BOMB--it's called TuttiFrutti, and all you need is a pen and paper; I've also learned that they're not as receptive when I aim for 'creativity points' and that I'm much less talented at scattergories in castellano. I've learned that 'piola' means cool, 'laburo' means work (they mix Spanish with Italian a lot), and morocha (which is apparently my name now at the train station) means brown person. I've learned that the police officers don't do much--we went to a cafe for some meat after a morningtime meeting, and we played guitar and sang with a group of about 8 police officers for like 2 hours. I'm including a picture.
The time here is definitely full of more than just parties, though. Teaching English is going really well; a lot of the kids at the villa are very smart, and are picking up the language a lot quicker than I'd expected. Meeting with Nico, Margi and my tutor, is also pretty amazing--he's a graduate student in theology, but he knows everything there is to know about latin american history, and he's got us reading and discussing a good 50-odd pages in Spanish every week, about poverty and the church and the nation. It's making me use my brain, and it feels like school again, which is great because I really do love homework. Megan and I are now officially taking cooking lessons from Christian (who still works selling diarios at Retiro but also lives at the church) in exchange for one-on-one English tutoring. I now know how to make 'fideo con tuco' (read: spaghetti with sauce, haha), and he now knows how to say 'I like to cook with Tina'. Among other things.
For those of you who are praying:
Pray for the church retreat this weekend. A few of the kids from the train station are going to be there, and the theme is on Inclusion. Pray that we can build some solid relationships there, be a support to the people leading the retreat, and that people can really contribute to what is said and what we learn. Most of the people going never go to church, so pray also that we can learn from them, and that the church can be practicing what it's preaching and helping people move from feeling marginalized to being included.
Pray for opportunities to use music! I've started bringing my guitar around sometimes, and everywhere I've went it's turned into a jam session. At the villa and the train station so far, I've just been getting to know people so I haven't brough it, but I might start soon. I think good things can come from it, so pray for that por favor.
Christian is going to get an operation sometime soon on his throat--He almost drowned a few months ago, and has this tube in his throat that they're going to take out I'm not sure when, but he's pretty nervous about it, so pray in advance that it goes well.
For open eyes, and humbleness always.
THANKS for reading :) I'mma try to put some pictures now...
ciao
I had read that passage a bunch of times before. It's part of the Beatitudes according to St. Luke, and the first half is one of Jesus' most famous quotes. But yesterday morning was the first time I've read through those verses with a group of people who live on the street. The words became much more real to me in that particular Bible study. We read 'blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied', and one of the guys commented on being denied bread from a local panaderia time and time again. We read 'bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you' and they reacted with shock, claiming that it doesn't make sense to let people walk all over you if you already feel taken advantage of as it is. I listened as they talked about what it even looks like to treat one another in a different way, 'do to others as you would have them do to you', rich and poor alike. Looking at Christianity and at Jesus' teachings down here, alongside people who aren't able to give their children baths and who work begging change for a living, definitely puts this message in a different light. I'm learning a lot down here so far...for now more questions than answers, but when I have some more words I'll for sure try to share all my thoughts with you all.
Tuesday and Wednesday was the bimonthly 'Encuentro', where Walter picks up a group of people from the train station and brings them to the church, where we eat dinner, watch movies, play games, sleep, and have a group discussion the next morning over yerba mate before lunch. This time, around 13 or so people came, mostly guys and girls in their late teens, with three toddlers in tow. It's so good to be able to get to know them all better. One of the highlights was definitely seeing the little girls take baths, and watching them play without the dirt and muck of the streets. Those kids don't have very much stuff, just one dirty Barbie backpack full of plastic spoons and toy dinnerware between the three of them, but they certainly have plenty of energy...None of them went to bed before 12 or 1am.
The Friday before, the church had a fiesta at Pastor Juan Jose's house, a sort of outreach to prepare for a young adult retreat that's happening this weekend where people can come and get to know each other. Now I've been to church parties in the states--there's some line dancing (if it's southpoint), some talking and laughing, and it's over at 11, at the latest. This party started at 11, and we weren't done until 5:30 in the morning. The people here don't sleep! And they don't stop dancing. Cumbia, salsa, quarteto, I dunno what else they danced but it was a lot. Afterwards, a bunch of us sat in a circle and played guitar, sang, and talked until the pastor went to bed at 5:30. The culture here seems to put a lot of value on conversations and spending time relating to people, talking to one another. I love it.
More tidbits about Argentina... So far I've learned that a lot of young people here really seem to like rock music, and all of their favorite songs sound like stuff from the 80s. I've learned that the Argentinean version of scattergories is the BOMB--it's called TuttiFrutti, and all you need is a pen and paper; I've also learned that they're not as receptive when I aim for 'creativity points' and that I'm much less talented at scattergories in castellano. I've learned that 'piola' means cool, 'laburo' means work (they mix Spanish with Italian a lot), and morocha (which is apparently my name now at the train station) means brown person. I've learned that the police officers don't do much--we went to a cafe for some meat after a morningtime meeting, and we played guitar and sang with a group of about 8 police officers for like 2 hours. I'm including a picture.
The time here is definitely full of more than just parties, though. Teaching English is going really well; a lot of the kids at the villa are very smart, and are picking up the language a lot quicker than I'd expected. Meeting with Nico, Margi and my tutor, is also pretty amazing--he's a graduate student in theology, but he knows everything there is to know about latin american history, and he's got us reading and discussing a good 50-odd pages in Spanish every week, about poverty and the church and the nation. It's making me use my brain, and it feels like school again, which is great because I really do love homework. Megan and I are now officially taking cooking lessons from Christian (who still works selling diarios at Retiro but also lives at the church) in exchange for one-on-one English tutoring. I now know how to make 'fideo con tuco' (read: spaghetti with sauce, haha), and he now knows how to say 'I like to cook with Tina'. Among other things.
For those of you who are praying:
Pray for the church retreat this weekend. A few of the kids from the train station are going to be there, and the theme is on Inclusion. Pray that we can build some solid relationships there, be a support to the people leading the retreat, and that people can really contribute to what is said and what we learn. Most of the people going never go to church, so pray also that we can learn from them, and that the church can be practicing what it's preaching and helping people move from feeling marginalized to being included.
Pray for opportunities to use music! I've started bringing my guitar around sometimes, and everywhere I've went it's turned into a jam session. At the villa and the train station so far, I've just been getting to know people so I haven't brough it, but I might start soon. I think good things can come from it, so pray for that por favor.
Christian is going to get an operation sometime soon on his throat--He almost drowned a few months ago, and has this tube in his throat that they're going to take out I'm not sure when, but he's pretty nervous about it, so pray in advance that it goes well.
For open eyes, and humbleness always.
THANKS for reading :) I'mma try to put some pictures now...
ciao
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Deal.
Hola everybody!
So its official. Im in Buenos Aires, and Im here for a while. (im also still figuring out how to negotiate these computer keyboards, so im missing apostrophes, its because i dont know where they are and not because i dont know where they belong).
First impressions: Id heard that Argentina was very European, a "little Paris" in the middle of Latin America. That seems to be true to an extent--people dress nice, buildings look old--but its also very different (at least so far). Im staying in Barracas, right next to this area called la Boca, where everything is a a different color and everyone is loud. Its a pretty run-down area, with huge murals at every corner and political graffitti decorating the walls, but I feel really safe (dont worry mom and dad!!) The accent is way different. Ive interviewed a good bunch of people already, and what I know so far is that
-Argentineans eat at like 9:30 or 10. Dinner. They dont go to bed until way later.
-Argentineans love soccer. A lot more than I do. Hopefully this wont cause any problems.
-Everything good that ive heard about Argentinean meat is absolutely true. Im about to eat more beef than ive ever eaten in my life.
-Young people dont really dance tango. They dance to Cumbia and Electronica. Old people and tourists do.
I like this country a lot.
The living situation: Im living with the Pastor and his wife in Barracas, on the third floor of the Baptist church we´ll be working with. We have hot water (Im relieved, because its pretty cold), and were going to be washing clothes by hand (im sure ill appreciate how many clothes i have soon enough). Ive got a roommate, another volunteer from Wisconsin who is 23 and studied education with a minor in Spanish and English as a Second Language. On the second floor, Christian and Laura live with their 2 year old baby Dilan. They used to live on the streets, but through their interactions with the missionaries down here, they joined the church, got a job, turned a lot around, and now theyre helping out with outreach to the homeless kids in the same train station where they used to beg. We got to eat with them and talk with them a while late last night, and then watched Diamante de Sangre (Blood Diamond) until 1am. Its crazy, Laura is only 19 and has been through more than I probably will in my whole life. Christian is an incredible cook, though, and he already promised to teach me. Were also living with three other students --2 Argentinean guys, Lucas (hes studying marketing and works as the secretary/does everything for the church), Daniel (a 23yearold with dreadlocks who plays the bongo and rides a motorcycle), and female student from Peru whos my age. Theyve already roped me in to play piano for a youth retreat (youll be glad to hear, mom :))
The church is pretty big-- they have prayer meetings all the time, and huge slumber parties for all the homeless youth every other week called Encuentros. One took place Tuesday, actually, and we got to meet a lot of the kids. Most are older teenagers, and bit over half are male; those who are female come with males and babies. If I thought Argentinean Spanish was difficult, Argentinean street slang is ridiculous. Ill learn in time. But they were a lot more welcoming to us foreigners than id expected. Its so good that theres a place like the church for them to go.
The pastor (Juan Jose) and his wife Lorena are really cool. Hes a theologian from Peru who knows a lot about liberation theology-- I wrote my senior thesis on the subject, so I hope to grill him about it over dinner tonight. Lorena is Argentinean, and I dont know much about her yet...
The Work: This whole week has been a sort of orientation-- in addition to getting to know the area, the staff here and our host families, weve been going through the mission of the organization here and the details of our work. I am so excited, and am very much assured that this is where im supposed to be. Word Made Flesh is very much about working with those who are most marginalized in urban centers around the world, but doing it in community and in pursuit of true Christianity. In terms of the WMF people here, theres a couple that serves as regional staff leaders for South America, two Argentinean-Americans named Walter and Andrea Forcatto (they have two little girls), as well as a North American couple that serve as Servant Team Coordinators, Jenn and Jeremiah Dean (they have 3 little kids; the oldest boy Jordan is 4 and he has seizures, and Selah is 2 I think and Eli is only 4 months.) There are 3 other volunteers besides me, all girls and all from the midwest/west.
3 days a week, it looks like well be going to Retiro, the main train station/hub for the city, to spend time with the homeless kids and get to know them in their own context. Two days a week, well go to into the villas (or villa miserias, pronounced ´vee-SHA,´ so strange), which are basically pockets of extreme poverty right at the outskirts of the city. The population there is mostly immigrant families from neighboring countries; when we go, well be teaching English, and hopefully music as well. Well see. As a group, were going to be doing a lot of reading and discussing about Jesus, poverty, marginalization and ministry, to figure out how the Church can best love God and each other in situations of inequality & poverty like this. Were also meeting independently with an Argentinean ´tutor´who will tell us about history and culture so were not totally ignorant.
Again, Im excited.
Prayer requests so far:
-Unity for the volunteers in this ´get-to-know-you´stage, and unity with everyone Im living with (there are a lot!)
-Clear and attentive ears to hear what God is up to here
-A lot of the families in the villas, Christian was saying, sell their daughters into prostitution, and theres a lot of sexual abuse from fathers to their kids. I know I read about all this in school, but its kind of overwhelming that its so common so closeby. So pray for all that please.
I live right next to an internet cafe, so please please email me back whenever about whatever (christinamcolon"gmail.com) (I cant find the át´sign!)
Peace,
Tina
So its official. Im in Buenos Aires, and Im here for a while. (im also still figuring out how to negotiate these computer keyboards, so im missing apostrophes, its because i dont know where they are and not because i dont know where they belong).
First impressions: Id heard that Argentina was very European, a "little Paris" in the middle of Latin America. That seems to be true to an extent--people dress nice, buildings look old--but its also very different (at least so far). Im staying in Barracas, right next to this area called la Boca, where everything is a a different color and everyone is loud. Its a pretty run-down area, with huge murals at every corner and political graffitti decorating the walls, but I feel really safe (dont worry mom and dad!!) The accent is way different. Ive interviewed a good bunch of people already, and what I know so far is that
-Argentineans eat at like 9:30 or 10. Dinner. They dont go to bed until way later.
-Argentineans love soccer. A lot more than I do. Hopefully this wont cause any problems.
-Everything good that ive heard about Argentinean meat is absolutely true. Im about to eat more beef than ive ever eaten in my life.
-Young people dont really dance tango. They dance to Cumbia and Electronica. Old people and tourists do.
I like this country a lot.
The living situation: Im living with the Pastor and his wife in Barracas, on the third floor of the Baptist church we´ll be working with. We have hot water (Im relieved, because its pretty cold), and were going to be washing clothes by hand (im sure ill appreciate how many clothes i have soon enough). Ive got a roommate, another volunteer from Wisconsin who is 23 and studied education with a minor in Spanish and English as a Second Language. On the second floor, Christian and Laura live with their 2 year old baby Dilan. They used to live on the streets, but through their interactions with the missionaries down here, they joined the church, got a job, turned a lot around, and now theyre helping out with outreach to the homeless kids in the same train station where they used to beg. We got to eat with them and talk with them a while late last night, and then watched Diamante de Sangre (Blood Diamond) until 1am. Its crazy, Laura is only 19 and has been through more than I probably will in my whole life. Christian is an incredible cook, though, and he already promised to teach me. Were also living with three other students --2 Argentinean guys, Lucas (hes studying marketing and works as the secretary/does everything for the church), Daniel (a 23yearold with dreadlocks who plays the bongo and rides a motorcycle), and female student from Peru whos my age. Theyve already roped me in to play piano for a youth retreat (youll be glad to hear, mom :))
The church is pretty big-- they have prayer meetings all the time, and huge slumber parties for all the homeless youth every other week called Encuentros. One took place Tuesday, actually, and we got to meet a lot of the kids. Most are older teenagers, and bit over half are male; those who are female come with males and babies. If I thought Argentinean Spanish was difficult, Argentinean street slang is ridiculous. Ill learn in time. But they were a lot more welcoming to us foreigners than id expected. Its so good that theres a place like the church for them to go.
The pastor (Juan Jose) and his wife Lorena are really cool. Hes a theologian from Peru who knows a lot about liberation theology-- I wrote my senior thesis on the subject, so I hope to grill him about it over dinner tonight. Lorena is Argentinean, and I dont know much about her yet...
The Work: This whole week has been a sort of orientation-- in addition to getting to know the area, the staff here and our host families, weve been going through the mission of the organization here and the details of our work. I am so excited, and am very much assured that this is where im supposed to be. Word Made Flesh is very much about working with those who are most marginalized in urban centers around the world, but doing it in community and in pursuit of true Christianity. In terms of the WMF people here, theres a couple that serves as regional staff leaders for South America, two Argentinean-Americans named Walter and Andrea Forcatto (they have two little girls), as well as a North American couple that serve as Servant Team Coordinators, Jenn and Jeremiah Dean (they have 3 little kids; the oldest boy Jordan is 4 and he has seizures, and Selah is 2 I think and Eli is only 4 months.) There are 3 other volunteers besides me, all girls and all from the midwest/west.
3 days a week, it looks like well be going to Retiro, the main train station/hub for the city, to spend time with the homeless kids and get to know them in their own context. Two days a week, well go to into the villas (or villa miserias, pronounced ´vee-SHA,´ so strange), which are basically pockets of extreme poverty right at the outskirts of the city. The population there is mostly immigrant families from neighboring countries; when we go, well be teaching English, and hopefully music as well. Well see. As a group, were going to be doing a lot of reading and discussing about Jesus, poverty, marginalization and ministry, to figure out how the Church can best love God and each other in situations of inequality & poverty like this. Were also meeting independently with an Argentinean ´tutor´who will tell us about history and culture so were not totally ignorant.
Again, Im excited.
Prayer requests so far:
-Unity for the volunteers in this ´get-to-know-you´stage, and unity with everyone Im living with (there are a lot!)
-Clear and attentive ears to hear what God is up to here
-A lot of the families in the villas, Christian was saying, sell their daughters into prostitution, and theres a lot of sexual abuse from fathers to their kids. I know I read about all this in school, but its kind of overwhelming that its so common so closeby. So pray for all that please.
I live right next to an internet cafe, so please please email me back whenever about whatever (christinamcolon"gmail.com) (I cant find the át´sign!)
Peace,
Tina
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