Generosity Encouraged!
Volume 1, Issue 2
October 2007
"They are weak, but He is Strong!"
Dear Family and Friends,
In 2 Corinthians, after pleading with God to take Satan's thorn from his flesh, Paul writes: "But the Lord said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest in me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, For when I am weak, then I am strong."
To be quite honest, this past month in England has been rather difficult. More times than not, I have questioned myself and God about why I am supposed to be here and what my purpose for being here this year actually is. The only think I truly know is that more than anything else, I desire to serve God.
During this past month, I believe I have lost sight of my desire to serve God. Instead of focusing on what God wants for me, I have thought about what I want, about the visions and expectations I have for myself.
I have come to realize that I cannot continue to think like this. Instead, I must turn to God and trust in His ways. I must constantly remember the plans I have made for myself are most likely radically different than the plans God has for me. For it is written in Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.' "
In the past month, I have come to fully understand how weak I truly am. Each day brings a battle of it's own, but it absolutely takes my breath away that when I am weak, God's grace can make me strong. I know I will continue to sturggle. I know I will face many hardships and difficulties throughout the year. With even more certainty, I know that with God by my side, I can make it through. I can use my weaknesses to relate to, help, and empathize with others.
More than anything, I know that God is stretching and molding me far more than I comprehend. So in the midst of the storms, I will boast in my weaknesses.
I hope you enjoy this newsletter and may God bless each of you!
ELCA/TFG/GOOD NEWS FAMILY CARE
PRAYER CONCERNS:
- 2 of the women at Charis House have recently moved out. If you could pray for their protection, safety, and strength as they begin this new chapter in their lives.
- Prayer for those in the midst for the fires of California.
- Prayers for the soldiers in Iraq.
- Prayer for peace on earth.
TFG Conference
At the beginning of the month, Christina and I traveled to Sheffield for our first TFG Conference. At the conference, there were about 20 other volunteers from countries such as Hungary, Spain, Uganda, Germany, and South Korea that are also serving in England. There were also 3 other volunteers from the ELCA so it was great to see some familiar faces.
This was a wonderful three days for me, offering me a breath of fresh air. We learned about and discussed cultural differences and similarities, budgeting and what it means to be a volunteer.
We also had some down time. During this time, Kristin, Maren and I walked up a cliff where we could see for miles around. We also visited the Chatsworth House, home to the Duke of Devonshire. It was absolutely amazing and I hope to go back for Christmas!
Everyday Life
Facing each day of work at Good News Family Care always offers a mystery. Most of the time, as I head to work, although I have a general idea, I really do now know what my tasks for the day will be. I firmly believe this is another way in which God is stretching me.
I am still mainly doing administration work. There hasn't been a lot of work to do this far. It does sound as if I will be getting more projects, especially with Christmas right around the corner.
I have started doing some community support work and I am absolutely loving this aspect of the job. One afternoon a week, I go out and help people Charis House supports in the community with things such as shopping and cleaning. I also get the lovely advantage of going to coffee with these wonderful women. I so cherish the relationships I have already formed while doing community support.
GNFC also has a farm where they raise hens. Beginning this week, I will go to the farm one morning a week, most likely to do cleaning and help with the hens and eggs. There are also horses at the farm so I am very excited to see animals that remind me of home. I shouldn't jump the gun because I have heard this isn't the greatest job, but it will definitely be nice to have some variety in my week and to be somewhere that so closely resembles Minnesota.
I am still enjoying my Friday nights with the women and children. It is on Friday nights and weekends that I can truly form and nurture these God-sent relationships.
Experiencing English Culture
- This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend a dedication of a baby of a couple that works at Good News Family Care. The dedication was similar to a baptism, although the baby, Bethany Ruth, was not baptized. There was a declaration of her parents god-parents to protect her and guide her in the Lord's ways. It was a festive celebration with many people, praise and worship, and of course, wonderful food!
- In the past month, we have had the privilege of experiencing English meals at the homes of those we work with and go to church with. These have been wonderful meals and times for conversation. We have had food such as Shepherd's pie, Yorkshire pudding and beef, chicken and curry, and wonderful vegetables, potatoes, and desserts. What is even better than the food, are the wonderful people serving the food and welcoming us into their homes.
Day Trips - Liverpool, Manchester, York...
In the past month, I have had the wonderful opportunity to take some amazing day trips.
At the beginning of the month, I traveled three and a half hours to meet Maren in York. In York, we visited the Castle Museum, the York Minster Cathedral, and various shops around town. We also walked around town and enjoyed time in one of the parks.
I also recently met Maren in Liverpool and we had a fantastic time at the Beatle's Museum. We also visited the Walker Art Gallery. We didn't have much time at the Gallery because we spent so much time at the Beatle's Museum.
This past weekend I went to Liverpool by myself because I was craving "city-life". I have also been to Manchester a couple of times to do some shopping and visit some more of the museums the city has to offer. It is amazing to see the variety England has to offer!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
October Newsletter! - Kristen in Slovakia
October Newsletter
The Call to Mission Work
We were asked to reflect upon missions work in this month's
newsletter. I have struggled personally with the word missionary
because it seems to carry with it the connotation of one who goes out
into uncharted territories and loudly proclaims the Good News and
converts all of the heathens. Obviously this is not a good, nor
accurate, definition but admittedly it is the first that pops into my
mind. However, it is about as far from me as possible. I am not a
big fan of public speaking, the place that I am staying at is a
Christian center, and I have yet to see human sacrifices. Or perhaps
the picture of the missionary is someone who is more like Mother
Teresa, living in abject poverty, administering love to the people
that society wouldn't touch. Yes, this does sound slightly closer -
yet I am typing this on a computer, I get fed plenty of food, and
sometimes I feel more like the people here are ministering to me than
I am to them. So then, what really is a missionary? What is my role
to be this year? If I am not to convert the masses or feed starving
children, what am I doing here?
The word missionary is best understood as the work of any Christian
who responds to God's call. One can do mission work anytime,
anywhere, and in any way. You do not need to leave the country to do
mission work or to stand on a pedestal and loudly proclaim the Gospel.
Any time that we show Christ's love to another person we are answering
God's call and doing His work. No matter what our job or vocation is,
God has called us there in order to minister to other people and to
show His love and truth to the world.
One of the most helpful things that we learned in relation to missions
work in the seminars before we left is the idea of accompaniment. The
idea of accompaniment is to form relationships with people and to be
with people where they are. We are not necessarily taking God there,
but finding how He is already at work there. The ministry is with and
among others, not for or to others. We are to become a part of the
community, work in the community, and to help restore the community.
It is also important to recognize that missions work is both giving
and receiving. This applies to all of God's people.
As for my job here, I will be honest and say that I am not yet sure
how everything will work out or exactly why I am here. Right now I am
working at getting to know the boys, the other workers, my host
family, and the people in the community here as much as possible with
the language barrier. I am teaching English and swimming to the boys.
I have started leading Bible studies. I work in the kitchen and help
to clean Mlyn, the building where we work and live. I also will
hopefully start helping one of the women in the community teach her
high school English classes. Those are my official jobs, but ministry
also comes in a random conversation with one of the boys where we
actually understand each other, a smile shared, playing with my host
sisters and the kittens, Monika's little boys coming into the office
and shooting me with their Lego guns where I had to play dead and was
much laughter, listening to the Gypsy music the boys like to play on
the guitar and drum set, listening to one of the boys praying out loud
and calling God the Slovak word for Daddy and hearing the explanation
that while his real dad on earth has failed him, he knows his heavenly
father, or daddy, will not, sharing a conversation with my host mom
while working in the kitchen where she acts out the news stories
related to America with some Slovak and English words from my
dictionary thrown in (my favorite was the one where a woman in Alaska
got bit by a bear and a dog rescued her - or at least that was my
guess from the charades!), gathering everyone together and singing
praise and worship songs, sharing my pictures and culture with the
boys, playing games in English class, Bible studies at my host
family's kitchen table, and much more. I am ministering to them and
they are also ministering to me. Hopefully, together, we will make a
difference in each other's lives and help to show God's love and truth
to each other.
This is where I will end the newsletter. If you have any questions
about anything I have said, any discussion that was sparked by the
newsletter, if you want more information about any of the work that I
have mentioned, or if you would like to update me on your life, please
feel free to e-mail me or send me a letter. I enjoy hearing from and
keeping in contact with all of you!
In the love and peace of Christ,
Kristen
The Call to Mission Work
We were asked to reflect upon missions work in this month's
newsletter. I have struggled personally with the word missionary
because it seems to carry with it the connotation of one who goes out
into uncharted territories and loudly proclaims the Good News and
converts all of the heathens. Obviously this is not a good, nor
accurate, definition but admittedly it is the first that pops into my
mind. However, it is about as far from me as possible. I am not a
big fan of public speaking, the place that I am staying at is a
Christian center, and I have yet to see human sacrifices. Or perhaps
the picture of the missionary is someone who is more like Mother
Teresa, living in abject poverty, administering love to the people
that society wouldn't touch. Yes, this does sound slightly closer -
yet I am typing this on a computer, I get fed plenty of food, and
sometimes I feel more like the people here are ministering to me than
I am to them. So then, what really is a missionary? What is my role
to be this year? If I am not to convert the masses or feed starving
children, what am I doing here?
The word missionary is best understood as the work of any Christian
who responds to God's call. One can do mission work anytime,
anywhere, and in any way. You do not need to leave the country to do
mission work or to stand on a pedestal and loudly proclaim the Gospel.
Any time that we show Christ's love to another person we are answering
God's call and doing His work. No matter what our job or vocation is,
God has called us there in order to minister to other people and to
show His love and truth to the world.
One of the most helpful things that we learned in relation to missions
work in the seminars before we left is the idea of accompaniment. The
idea of accompaniment is to form relationships with people and to be
with people where they are. We are not necessarily taking God there,
but finding how He is already at work there. The ministry is with and
among others, not for or to others. We are to become a part of the
community, work in the community, and to help restore the community.
It is also important to recognize that missions work is both giving
and receiving. This applies to all of God's people.
As for my job here, I will be honest and say that I am not yet sure
how everything will work out or exactly why I am here. Right now I am
working at getting to know the boys, the other workers, my host
family, and the people in the community here as much as possible with
the language barrier. I am teaching English and swimming to the boys.
I have started leading Bible studies. I work in the kitchen and help
to clean Mlyn, the building where we work and live. I also will
hopefully start helping one of the women in the community teach her
high school English classes. Those are my official jobs, but ministry
also comes in a random conversation with one of the boys where we
actually understand each other, a smile shared, playing with my host
sisters and the kittens, Monika's little boys coming into the office
and shooting me with their Lego guns where I had to play dead and was
much laughter, listening to the Gypsy music the boys like to play on
the guitar and drum set, listening to one of the boys praying out loud
and calling God the Slovak word for Daddy and hearing the explanation
that while his real dad on earth has failed him, he knows his heavenly
father, or daddy, will not, sharing a conversation with my host mom
while working in the kitchen where she acts out the news stories
related to America with some Slovak and English words from my
dictionary thrown in (my favorite was the one where a woman in Alaska
got bit by a bear and a dog rescued her - or at least that was my
guess from the charades!), gathering everyone together and singing
praise and worship songs, sharing my pictures and culture with the
boys, playing games in English class, Bible studies at my host
family's kitchen table, and much more. I am ministering to them and
they are also ministering to me. Hopefully, together, we will make a
difference in each other's lives and help to show God's love and truth
to each other.
This is where I will end the newsletter. If you have any questions
about anything I have said, any discussion that was sparked by the
newsletter, if you want more information about any of the work that I
have mentioned, or if you would like to update me on your life, please
feel free to e-mail me or send me a letter. I enjoy hearing from and
keeping in contact with all of you!
In the love and peace of Christ,
Kristen
October Newsletter - Kelly in the UK
Kelly's Newsletter
Weald Word
Volume 1, Issue 2
31 October 2007
SLUM SURVIVOR 2007
Every day, over 1 billion people have to survive in the growing slums in many of the world's cities. The basics of life can be very hard to come by. Houses are built from scraps of timber, plastic and cardboard. Toilets may be non-existent or shared by hundreds of people. Piped water is a luxury that people in slums can't afford. This is reality for over a billion people on our planet. Imagine if it was your reality.
The above words is how the introduction to Slum Survivor appears on their website. Slum Survivor encourages young people to live in slums for 24-48 hours to raise awareness about slum life around the world. Another part of the event is getting people to sponsor you to raise as much money as possible to send to Soul Action. Sevenoaks is a very affluent area in England and most people wouldn't think twice about what life in a slum would be like. In all fairness, our slums were pretty posh, as we had access to toilets, running water and gas stoves. It all started on Friday, 26th October at 5:00PM on The Vine with the delivery of about 26 pallets and a large supply of cardboard. The kids unloaded the truck and got to building rather quickly. The entire slum, which consisted of three dwellings, was assembled in about two hours. The Vine is part of the cricket pitch in the centre of town and is the local hangout for teenagers. Most of their time is spent in drunken stupor or engaging in fights. On Friday, however, they engaged in conversation with the slum dwellers and the kids heard about poverty around the world and how God's people need to help. All day Saturday was spent giving passers by tours of the slum and answering questions about the purpose of the slum. As the kids reflected on Monday night at the prayer group, one of the boys said, "That was absolutely the worst time of my life, I have never been so cold or hungry." My reply was, "Now you know how some people feel their whole lives, so you got out of this weekend what was intended, and that was the point." The kids agreed that it was a great experience and want to do it again next year. The weekend was a success and as more people learn about what the kids did, more donations come in.
TEA AND TOAST, COFFEE AND MUFFINS
On Tuesday mornings, I am part of a new social gathering called Tea and Toast. It is a two hour long gathering in the church where mums and toddlers come to eat toast, drink tea and play. I have been doing this for about 6 weeks now and I know which children belong to which mother. I am slowly becoming part of their group now that I am invited to sit and chat with them. This group is about 10-15 mums and their kids and it seems to be working very well and everyone likes coming.
On Wednesday monrings, we have a social gathering called Muffin Morning. This is a small group of about 4 or 5 older women of the congregation who meet to have coffee and homemade muffins. Last week we had the pleasure of viewing one of the women's wedding pictures in the church 60 years ago. It was wonderful! Even though the point of the morning is to socialize, the women have taken it upon themselves to teach me how to knit. I only know how to do a knit stitch, as I have only had two days instruction, but I will get better with time.
THURSDAY CLUB IS FULL OF FUN
Thursday Club is a program I run on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 for kids aged 7-11. It is located at our church hall and is a place for children to come and have fun in a Christian environment. Last week the children of Weald celebrated half term with one week off of school. This the equivalent of a break at conference time in the States. We have done many fun things at Thursday Club in the first half of the school term and we have many more things planned for the rest of the term. So far, we have had a cooking night, craft night, movie night, game night and a special swimming night. On cooking night, we made one of my all-time favorite children's desserts: Worms and Dirt! There are many items of food that are available in America, but unavailable in England, so I had to alter the entire recipe. I got what I thought was the same items and they seemed to work just as well. I did have some help from children who had lived in the States before moving to England, so we got it figured out in the end. On craft night, we made Water World posters for a poster making competition. The kids had to draw up a poster that included all uses of water that they could think of. We brainstormed uses of water and talked about people who live in places without access to clean water. The children seemed distraught by the thought of kids like them not having the means to bathe, flush a toilet, or even drink water. We happened to go swimming a few weeks later and got to talking about water usage again. I was pleased to see that the talk wasn't a one night activity, but will be an ongoing learning experience for them. Upcoming events for Thursday Club include: game night playing tin can alley, cooking night with Mrs. Johnson, another swimming adventure, holiday craft night, and as an end of term celebration, a Christmas party.
HARVEST FOR THE HUNGRY
Harvest for the Hungry is a project developed by an organization called Euroaid. It is a project where you fill a box with certain items and they are shipped to various countries that Euroaid supports. if you don't want to make up a box, you can donate 10 GBP pounds to cover the cost of the contents in the box. It is done near the harvest time because there seem to be a lot of people that have food and little though of those that don't. St. George's Church participates in this program and has done so for several years. This year the children at Weald School and the members of St. George's had enough food donations to make up 42 boxes. The church also received enough money to make up an additional 41 boxes. Since we have a congregation of about 180 people, most of whom are children, this is a great number of boxes. Items in the box include: 1 bag of plain flour, 2 bags of pasta, 1 bag of sugar, 2 bags of long rice, 2 tins of tomatoes, 2 tins of fruit, 4 tins of tuna, 3 packets of biscuits, 2 packs of spaghetti, and a fun pack of sweets. This year Euroaid sent a total number of 5600 boxes to Eastern Europe for delivery to those in need.
INTRODUCING THE NEXT JAMIE OLIVER
I am settling into life here on the farm and learning lots of new things. The main thing you need to know when living on a farm is how to make great food. Knowing how to make everything from main dishes to desserts is a must. Even though my parents are great cooks, this is not something that I was blessed with. I am learning how to make wonderful British things like Toad in the Hole, Shepherd's Pie and my latest is Simon's famous chocolate coconut cake. Simon is the grandson of my host parents, Fred and Helen. He is ten years old and has a knack for cooking. He deems himself as the next Jamie Oliver. One morning during a break from school, Simon came over to help grandma bake some things for a bake sale at church. He made four different cakes that morning, but he showed me step by step how to make a chocolate cake. He could be the next great chef on television, as he dictates everything he is doing. From creaming the butter and sugar to adding the coconut and spreading it in the pan, you know every step. While discussing what a wonderful cook he was, he said to me, "Kelly, when your family sees the pictures of me baking my cake, they will want to hire me to cook an entire meal for them." That would be an expensive hire. Well done, Simon!
Weald Word
Volume 1, Issue 2
31 October 2007
SLUM SURVIVOR 2007
Every day, over 1 billion people have to survive in the growing slums in many of the world's cities. The basics of life can be very hard to come by. Houses are built from scraps of timber, plastic and cardboard. Toilets may be non-existent or shared by hundreds of people. Piped water is a luxury that people in slums can't afford. This is reality for over a billion people on our planet. Imagine if it was your reality.
The above words is how the introduction to Slum Survivor appears on their website. Slum Survivor encourages young people to live in slums for 24-48 hours to raise awareness about slum life around the world. Another part of the event is getting people to sponsor you to raise as much money as possible to send to Soul Action. Sevenoaks is a very affluent area in England and most people wouldn't think twice about what life in a slum would be like. In all fairness, our slums were pretty posh, as we had access to toilets, running water and gas stoves. It all started on Friday, 26th October at 5:00PM on The Vine with the delivery of about 26 pallets and a large supply of cardboard. The kids unloaded the truck and got to building rather quickly. The entire slum, which consisted of three dwellings, was assembled in about two hours. The Vine is part of the cricket pitch in the centre of town and is the local hangout for teenagers. Most of their time is spent in drunken stupor or engaging in fights. On Friday, however, they engaged in conversation with the slum dwellers and the kids heard about poverty around the world and how God's people need to help. All day Saturday was spent giving passers by tours of the slum and answering questions about the purpose of the slum. As the kids reflected on Monday night at the prayer group, one of the boys said, "That was absolutely the worst time of my life, I have never been so cold or hungry." My reply was, "Now you know how some people feel their whole lives, so you got out of this weekend what was intended, and that was the point." The kids agreed that it was a great experience and want to do it again next year. The weekend was a success and as more people learn about what the kids did, more donations come in.
TEA AND TOAST, COFFEE AND MUFFINS
On Tuesday mornings, I am part of a new social gathering called Tea and Toast. It is a two hour long gathering in the church where mums and toddlers come to eat toast, drink tea and play. I have been doing this for about 6 weeks now and I know which children belong to which mother. I am slowly becoming part of their group now that I am invited to sit and chat with them. This group is about 10-15 mums and their kids and it seems to be working very well and everyone likes coming.
On Wednesday monrings, we have a social gathering called Muffin Morning. This is a small group of about 4 or 5 older women of the congregation who meet to have coffee and homemade muffins. Last week we had the pleasure of viewing one of the women's wedding pictures in the church 60 years ago. It was wonderful! Even though the point of the morning is to socialize, the women have taken it upon themselves to teach me how to knit. I only know how to do a knit stitch, as I have only had two days instruction, but I will get better with time.
THURSDAY CLUB IS FULL OF FUN
Thursday Club is a program I run on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:15 for kids aged 7-11. It is located at our church hall and is a place for children to come and have fun in a Christian environment. Last week the children of Weald celebrated half term with one week off of school. This the equivalent of a break at conference time in the States. We have done many fun things at Thursday Club in the first half of the school term and we have many more things planned for the rest of the term. So far, we have had a cooking night, craft night, movie night, game night and a special swimming night. On cooking night, we made one of my all-time favorite children's desserts: Worms and Dirt! There are many items of food that are available in America, but unavailable in England, so I had to alter the entire recipe. I got what I thought was the same items and they seemed to work just as well. I did have some help from children who had lived in the States before moving to England, so we got it figured out in the end. On craft night, we made Water World posters for a poster making competition. The kids had to draw up a poster that included all uses of water that they could think of. We brainstormed uses of water and talked about people who live in places without access to clean water. The children seemed distraught by the thought of kids like them not having the means to bathe, flush a toilet, or even drink water. We happened to go swimming a few weeks later and got to talking about water usage again. I was pleased to see that the talk wasn't a one night activity, but will be an ongoing learning experience for them. Upcoming events for Thursday Club include: game night playing tin can alley, cooking night with Mrs. Johnson, another swimming adventure, holiday craft night, and as an end of term celebration, a Christmas party.
HARVEST FOR THE HUNGRY
Harvest for the Hungry is a project developed by an organization called Euroaid. It is a project where you fill a box with certain items and they are shipped to various countries that Euroaid supports. if you don't want to make up a box, you can donate 10 GBP pounds to cover the cost of the contents in the box. It is done near the harvest time because there seem to be a lot of people that have food and little though of those that don't. St. George's Church participates in this program and has done so for several years. This year the children at Weald School and the members of St. George's had enough food donations to make up 42 boxes. The church also received enough money to make up an additional 41 boxes. Since we have a congregation of about 180 people, most of whom are children, this is a great number of boxes. Items in the box include: 1 bag of plain flour, 2 bags of pasta, 1 bag of sugar, 2 bags of long rice, 2 tins of tomatoes, 2 tins of fruit, 4 tins of tuna, 3 packets of biscuits, 2 packs of spaghetti, and a fun pack of sweets. This year Euroaid sent a total number of 5600 boxes to Eastern Europe for delivery to those in need.
INTRODUCING THE NEXT JAMIE OLIVER
I am settling into life here on the farm and learning lots of new things. The main thing you need to know when living on a farm is how to make great food. Knowing how to make everything from main dishes to desserts is a must. Even though my parents are great cooks, this is not something that I was blessed with. I am learning how to make wonderful British things like Toad in the Hole, Shepherd's Pie and my latest is Simon's famous chocolate coconut cake. Simon is the grandson of my host parents, Fred and Helen. He is ten years old and has a knack for cooking. He deems himself as the next Jamie Oliver. One morning during a break from school, Simon came over to help grandma bake some things for a bake sale at church. He made four different cakes that morning, but he showed me step by step how to make a chocolate cake. He could be the next great chef on television, as he dictates everything he is doing. From creaming the butter and sugar to adding the coconut and spreading it in the pan, you know every step. While discussing what a wonderful cook he was, he said to me, "Kelly, when your family sees the pictures of me baking my cake, they will want to hire me to cook an entire meal for them." That would be an expensive hire. Well done, Simon!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
October Newsletter - Karin in Argentina
Argentina Update
October 31, 2007
The Windy City
by Karin
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound -- but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes..." John 3:8
The wind in Comodoro is always blowing. It is infamous. Since my arrival here two months ago, I have heard whispers of this wind, but had yet to experience it as it's fullest capacity until recently.
Denise once told me it will whip me right back to the United States if I am not careful. Now I believe her. Yesterday I experienced my first real wind.
In it's unpredictable, consuming, transformative nature, this wind accurately illustrats my experience thus far. Every day presents unforseen challenges, every day presents unforseen joys. In the midst of these winds, it is hard to understand the force and meaning behind their existence, but I continue to walk in the faith that one day, something beautiful can be created from the.
Today, I struggle with the intersection of my two worlds. The reality that beyond the hardships encountered in my life here, there are hardships at home to confront too. Loved ones are born, lived ones die.
It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Katherine Ann Olson, friend and coworker at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. She was found murdered late Friday night. Today, I feel not only a personal loss, but a loss for her family, and a loss for our world. Please keep all those involved in your prayers. She will be missed.
Karin
"Fear not: I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:7*
*The verse found on Katherine's 2005 staff trading card.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clear blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Mary Oliver
Argentina Election 2007
"The Clinton's of the South"
Sunday, October 28, marked Presidential election day in Argentina. Beginning at 8pm on Saturday night, the chaos of Comodoro Rivadavia turned to quiet in an effort to prepare voters. All bars were shut down; all stores were closed.
Voted into office was the wife of Argentina's current President, Nestor Kirchner. Following the financial crisis of 2001, "the Clinton's of the South," as they are commonly referred, helped the economy grow by some 50 percent and promise that "change is just beginning."
Christina Kirchner's victory makes her the first woman to be elected president in Argentina and the second woman in two years to be elected president of a Latin American country. Her term begins December 10, 2007.
November Events
Sucesos de Noviembre
Nov. 1: Obra "Shrek"
6: Road trip to Buenos Aires
8: Baby Gerbig's due date!
9-11: IELU "Vida y Mision" Assembly
12-14: YAGM retreat in Colonia Valdense, Uruguay
15: Return to Comodoro
October 31, 2007
The Windy City
by Karin
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound -- but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes..." John 3:8
The wind in Comodoro is always blowing. It is infamous. Since my arrival here two months ago, I have heard whispers of this wind, but had yet to experience it as it's fullest capacity until recently.
Denise once told me it will whip me right back to the United States if I am not careful. Now I believe her. Yesterday I experienced my first real wind.
In it's unpredictable, consuming, transformative nature, this wind accurately illustrats my experience thus far. Every day presents unforseen challenges, every day presents unforseen joys. In the midst of these winds, it is hard to understand the force and meaning behind their existence, but I continue to walk in the faith that one day, something beautiful can be created from the.
Today, I struggle with the intersection of my two worlds. The reality that beyond the hardships encountered in my life here, there are hardships at home to confront too. Loved ones are born, lived ones die.
It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Katherine Ann Olson, friend and coworker at Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. She was found murdered late Friday night. Today, I feel not only a personal loss, but a loss for her family, and a loss for our world. Please keep all those involved in your prayers. She will be missed.
Karin
"Fear not: I have called you by name, you are mine." Isaiah 43:7*
*The verse found on Katherine's 2005 staff trading card.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile, the wild geese, high in the clear blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Mary Oliver
Argentina Election 2007
"The Clinton's of the South"
Sunday, October 28, marked Presidential election day in Argentina. Beginning at 8pm on Saturday night, the chaos of Comodoro Rivadavia turned to quiet in an effort to prepare voters. All bars were shut down; all stores were closed.
Voted into office was the wife of Argentina's current President, Nestor Kirchner. Following the financial crisis of 2001, "the Clinton's of the South," as they are commonly referred, helped the economy grow by some 50 percent and promise that "change is just beginning."
Christina Kirchner's victory makes her the first woman to be elected president in Argentina and the second woman in two years to be elected president of a Latin American country. Her term begins December 10, 2007.
November Events
Sucesos de Noviembre
Nov. 1: Obra "Shrek"
6: Road trip to Buenos Aires
8: Baby Gerbig's due date!
9-11: IELU "Vida y Mision" Assembly
12-14: YAGM retreat in Colonia Valdense, Uruguay
15: Return to Comodoro
Saturday, October 27, 2007
October Newsletter from Mexico - Katie
Ministry of Presence
Cuernavaca, Mexico Newsletter
October 2007
By Katie
On a fairly regular basis, dare I say daily basis, Marcelina and I start to talk about religion and it is not uncommon that she whips out her worn Bible Study book with the weekly readings and questions. She finds great joy in reading me the verses that they used in group and asking me for my perspective. She follows her Base Christian Community model like an old veteran and it makes me smile every time. We discuss how the reading relates to our own lives, what parts catch our attention, and what we think it is calling us to do or change in our life and how we live. Despite the years between us, the vastly different histories of our lives, the language and cultural differences, and the different realities we currently have while living under the same roof, we are coming to many similar conclusions and are finding many shared perspectives among the differences. Well, a few weeks ago Marce read me one of her Bible Study passages from Luke 17: 7-10
7 Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat?' 8Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?' 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ' We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.'
She looked up from her Bible Study book with a knowing smile on her face and asked me, “Who are the servants?” It didn't take long for me to say, “We are.” Then she asked me, “What is it the duty that we have to do?” and I responded, “whatever we can, little or big, to try to serve others.” I find truth in that calling, regardless of one’s religious beliefs. It calls us to be good to others, a task that crosses over any religious, cultural, or linguistic border. However, it is taking me a long time to try to wrap my mind around the ways to live into that mentality of a calling to unworthy servitude. That we give whatever we have to those we meet on our life journey because it is our duty and not because we feel proud or because we receive credit for our act of generosity.
I remember reading one time about someone who gave greatly to the children's ward in some hospital. Donations of toys and money was given to fund experiences or trips that would create fond, life-long memories. The children, the families, and the hospital workers were all incredibly moved and grateful for these beautiful acts of kindness. To me, the most interesting part of the story is that the person donated everything anonymously and received no credit, praise, or recognition for what he or she did. In my mind, this is the true definition of giving selflessly. Since reading that story years ago, I have yet to live into that ability of doing something good for someone else and not wanting even a small piece of credit or praise for my good deed.
I am moved and in awe of the constant support, encouragement, and genuine interest of my friends, family and my community at Bethany Lutheran Church. I have also been quite moved by the spirit of giving here in Mexico. In both cases, I find so much joy and I see more generosity in what some might call “small” gifts because it is all that there is to offer and the “small” gifts that are often given freely and willingly without the slightest expectation of gratitude in return.
Marce says that she is not a very loving woman and I whole-heartedly disagree. She doesn't show her affection with words, she shows her love through sharing her time, her food, her table and her conversation. During lunchtime, no interruption is considered unwelcome – it is seen as an opportunity to invite another to our table. She is always willing to sit and listen and spend time conversing with others regardless of the topic or her previously made plans. She is receptive to my feelings and is quick to be an extra fighter in my corner or simply a listening ear and comforting smile. She has a gift for giving her time and her company and I love coming home to spend time with her.
My friend Sarah works in some indigenous villages near Cuernavaca and has shared with me some of her reflections on other cultural differences in giving. One time she was asked, “How do people in the United States give to others in times of celebration or in times of sorrow? What do they do?” After thinking about this she diplomatically and truthfully answered the question with examples that resonated in my own experiences. She said, “Well, I can't speak for the entire country but I have seen that some people often send a card, send flowers, bring over a casserole, or make a phone call hoping to catch the answering machine.” Hmmm. We seem to find the quick and easy answers that don't require changes in our schedule or lifestyle.
Although the women in the indigenous villages don't have the money to buy cards or flowers and they may not have phones to call others, they give their time. They are present with others in times of joy and in times of grief. They provide an extra pair of hands to help prepare meals, they provide ears to listen, they provide shoulders to cry on, and they provide warm hearts to celebrate or grieve with others. It makes me think of a quote from a book by Henri Nouwen:
Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life... all of our life.
It may not seem like much, but isn't time and presence one of the greatest gifts that we have to offer? What is worth more than offering all we have to give, ourselves, in any given moment? And what is more beautiful than giving it out of the joy and love of serving the needs of another person?
I am a missionary. What a scary and fully-loaded word. I envision rigid and devout Christians sent to the corners of this earth to try to convert the savage, loin-cloth ridden pagans while completely ignoring and trampling upon the “holy ground” of that culture’s beliefs, customs, and lifestyles. Oh man, I want none of that. I am a missionary and I am serving under a model of “ministry of presence.” We aren’t here to preach the Gospel; we aren’t here to convert the masses… we are here to be here. We are here to live among these people in solidarity. We are here to meet the needs that they ask us to meet, not the needs that our own eyes see. We are here to be present, and give ourselves to these communities and relationships. And, what better gift than that?
I am a missionary and I am completely awkward. I have redefined my expectations for doing my job, and redefined my goals for doing it well. I often fumble my way through cultural norms trying to tiptoe cautiously over this “holy ground” and I undoubtedly screw up more often that I even realize. I am still figuring out when or how to culturally-appropriately turn down invitations (or if that is even possible). I am the strange güera that plays soccer in Tepotzlan. I am the foreigner in Marce’s house that helps her sell the sausage in our fridge whenever she isn’t around. I am doing what I can and doing it the best I can, and most importantly, learning humility in my inability to do things as well as I have always expected of myself. I am celebrating my strengths but I am also acknowledging and living into my weaknesses. Above all, I am being here and opening up to all that Cuernavaca is offering me.
I have been called to try to do what I am asked, and do it as well as I can. I have been called to be present with an open heart and open eyes. Through my experiences at home and here, I am learning that sometimes the gift of presence is the greatest and only real gift we can offer.
I thank all of you for the gifts that you give me. Both now and before I left, so many of you have shared part of yourself with me: some money in exchange for a puny hosta plant, an attentive ear, a hug, encouraging words, a prayer, or sometimes just the knowledge that you are with me in body or spirit. Thank you.
Peace with all of you and take care,
Katie
“Hago solo lo que tengo que hacer, y trato a hacerlo bien hecho.”
(I only do what I have to do, and try to do it well)
- Ana Guevara -
To read about my adventures and reflections, check out my blog at: http://klgavlemexico.blogspot.com/
To see photos of Mexico, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/klgavle
Cuernavaca, Mexico Newsletter
October 2007
By Katie
On a fairly regular basis, dare I say daily basis, Marcelina and I start to talk about religion and it is not uncommon that she whips out her worn Bible Study book with the weekly readings and questions. She finds great joy in reading me the verses that they used in group and asking me for my perspective. She follows her Base Christian Community model like an old veteran and it makes me smile every time. We discuss how the reading relates to our own lives, what parts catch our attention, and what we think it is calling us to do or change in our life and how we live. Despite the years between us, the vastly different histories of our lives, the language and cultural differences, and the different realities we currently have while living under the same roof, we are coming to many similar conclusions and are finding many shared perspectives among the differences. Well, a few weeks ago Marce read me one of her Bible Study passages from Luke 17: 7-10
7 Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat?' 8Would he not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?' 9Would he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ' We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.'
She looked up from her Bible Study book with a knowing smile on her face and asked me, “Who are the servants?” It didn't take long for me to say, “We are.” Then she asked me, “What is it the duty that we have to do?” and I responded, “whatever we can, little or big, to try to serve others.” I find truth in that calling, regardless of one’s religious beliefs. It calls us to be good to others, a task that crosses over any religious, cultural, or linguistic border. However, it is taking me a long time to try to wrap my mind around the ways to live into that mentality of a calling to unworthy servitude. That we give whatever we have to those we meet on our life journey because it is our duty and not because we feel proud or because we receive credit for our act of generosity.
I remember reading one time about someone who gave greatly to the children's ward in some hospital. Donations of toys and money was given to fund experiences or trips that would create fond, life-long memories. The children, the families, and the hospital workers were all incredibly moved and grateful for these beautiful acts of kindness. To me, the most interesting part of the story is that the person donated everything anonymously and received no credit, praise, or recognition for what he or she did. In my mind, this is the true definition of giving selflessly. Since reading that story years ago, I have yet to live into that ability of doing something good for someone else and not wanting even a small piece of credit or praise for my good deed.
I am moved and in awe of the constant support, encouragement, and genuine interest of my friends, family and my community at Bethany Lutheran Church. I have also been quite moved by the spirit of giving here in Mexico. In both cases, I find so much joy and I see more generosity in what some might call “small” gifts because it is all that there is to offer and the “small” gifts that are often given freely and willingly without the slightest expectation of gratitude in return.
Marce says that she is not a very loving woman and I whole-heartedly disagree. She doesn't show her affection with words, she shows her love through sharing her time, her food, her table and her conversation. During lunchtime, no interruption is considered unwelcome – it is seen as an opportunity to invite another to our table. She is always willing to sit and listen and spend time conversing with others regardless of the topic or her previously made plans. She is receptive to my feelings and is quick to be an extra fighter in my corner or simply a listening ear and comforting smile. She has a gift for giving her time and her company and I love coming home to spend time with her.
My friend Sarah works in some indigenous villages near Cuernavaca and has shared with me some of her reflections on other cultural differences in giving. One time she was asked, “How do people in the United States give to others in times of celebration or in times of sorrow? What do they do?” After thinking about this she diplomatically and truthfully answered the question with examples that resonated in my own experiences. She said, “Well, I can't speak for the entire country but I have seen that some people often send a card, send flowers, bring over a casserole, or make a phone call hoping to catch the answering machine.” Hmmm. We seem to find the quick and easy answers that don't require changes in our schedule or lifestyle.
Although the women in the indigenous villages don't have the money to buy cards or flowers and they may not have phones to call others, they give their time. They are present with others in times of joy and in times of grief. They provide an extra pair of hands to help prepare meals, they provide ears to listen, they provide shoulders to cry on, and they provide warm hearts to celebrate or grieve with others. It makes me think of a quote from a book by Henri Nouwen:
Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life... all of our life.
It may not seem like much, but isn't time and presence one of the greatest gifts that we have to offer? What is worth more than offering all we have to give, ourselves, in any given moment? And what is more beautiful than giving it out of the joy and love of serving the needs of another person?
I am a missionary. What a scary and fully-loaded word. I envision rigid and devout Christians sent to the corners of this earth to try to convert the savage, loin-cloth ridden pagans while completely ignoring and trampling upon the “holy ground” of that culture’s beliefs, customs, and lifestyles. Oh man, I want none of that. I am a missionary and I am serving under a model of “ministry of presence.” We aren’t here to preach the Gospel; we aren’t here to convert the masses… we are here to be here. We are here to live among these people in solidarity. We are here to meet the needs that they ask us to meet, not the needs that our own eyes see. We are here to be present, and give ourselves to these communities and relationships. And, what better gift than that?
I am a missionary and I am completely awkward. I have redefined my expectations for doing my job, and redefined my goals for doing it well. I often fumble my way through cultural norms trying to tiptoe cautiously over this “holy ground” and I undoubtedly screw up more often that I even realize. I am still figuring out when or how to culturally-appropriately turn down invitations (or if that is even possible). I am the strange güera that plays soccer in Tepotzlan. I am the foreigner in Marce’s house that helps her sell the sausage in our fridge whenever she isn’t around. I am doing what I can and doing it the best I can, and most importantly, learning humility in my inability to do things as well as I have always expected of myself. I am celebrating my strengths but I am also acknowledging and living into my weaknesses. Above all, I am being here and opening up to all that Cuernavaca is offering me.
I have been called to try to do what I am asked, and do it as well as I can. I have been called to be present with an open heart and open eyes. Through my experiences at home and here, I am learning that sometimes the gift of presence is the greatest and only real gift we can offer.
I thank all of you for the gifts that you give me. Both now and before I left, so many of you have shared part of yourself with me: some money in exchange for a puny hosta plant, an attentive ear, a hug, encouraging words, a prayer, or sometimes just the knowledge that you are with me in body or spirit. Thank you.
Peace with all of you and take care,
Katie
“Hago solo lo que tengo que hacer, y trato a hacerlo bien hecho.”
(I only do what I have to do, and try to do it well)
- Ana Guevara -
To read about my adventures and reflections, check out my blog at: http://klgavlemexico.blogspot.com/
To see photos of Mexico, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/klgavle
Friday, October 26, 2007
October Newsletter - Mark in Slovakia
Ahoj and Greetings from Slovakia. I can't believe it is already October.
I want to again thank all of you who have and continue to support me
through prayer. It helps to know that we are together in the Lord
despite however far apart we may be. Please continue to pray for me and
the other young adult volunteers around the world.
I have been writing some other updates on my Blog for those of you who
are Internet savvy. The address is http://www.moltron.net/blog/
I also have many more pictures available at
http://flickr.com/photos/themoltron
Having been in Vrbovce for about 2 months, I am starting to become
familiar with the people and customs. I feel like I have a place in the
village.
Here is a small list of things I enjoy about living in Vrbovce.
- Seeing many of the same faces all the time
- The music and announcements over the village loudspeaker system 3 or 4
times a day
- When ever you are invited anywhere you will have some Slivovica (Plum
Brandy)
- Delivering lunches to the old ladies most everyday in the old car
- The made up language I have with the other volunteers. Oliver and Flo,
a mixture of Slovak, German and English
As I struggle with learning the language one word that I keep hearing
and repeating in my head is "Pomaly" or slowly/gently. The word has made
me think a lot about how I think about and do things. We all have a
tendency to want things fast and in a hurry. I am enjoying the slower
pace of life and learning how to enjoy the small moments and
experiences. I am learning to spend time with people, listen even if I
don't understand very much and take things as they come instead of
trying to stick to a schedule. I am reminded of one occasion when
Oliver, Flo and I were on our way to the school to eat lunch when one of
the neighbors needed some help. So we stopped and helped her haul
several bags of potatoes. It was a rather small favor. She then invited
us for Kava (coffee). Not being masters of the language we couldn't
politely say we had to go eat lunch at the school. So we had coffee,
which then turned into lunch. I am often overwhelmed by such kind and
random hospitality. I can see Christ reflected in the small things, like
being invited for coffee and it turning into lunch when we didn't even
do very much to deserve it. This is only one of many such stories.
I have never been a huge fan of wearing sweaters. As the weather gets
colder I am finding the layer system quite wonderful, which often
includes sweaters. One of the big things in Vrbovce is the Cultural
Hall. Every village in Slovakia has one. The one in Vrbovce is rather
run down and is right now being used for storage of the many things
donated from Germany or other parts of Europe. These items include
useless medical equipment, beds, furniture, lights, and clothes. We are
often asked to move things or thrown things away as the process of
cleaning up and renovating the culture hall is starting to take place.
The villagers are appreciative of any work that we do and often give us
cookies, cakes or Slivovica. Many fun times have been had looking at old
junk and sometimes taking things for our own use. One time we made an
imaginary car from some old junk and proceeded to make fun of our daily
lunch run. Many things are rather ridiculous but, a warm sweater is a
warm sweater and a nice couch is a nice couch. I look forward to helping
in the renovation process and seeing what will happen.
As part of getting to know the culture I have joined the local futball
team (soccer in the US), We practice once or twice a week and I have
made many friends and I am getting to know and use the language. I am
not that greatest at futball but, the rest of the players appreciate my
efforts and we often joke about it. I have enjoyed the exercise as well
as the opportunity to have a more active part in village life. I also
sing in the Choir, which has been a very much enjoyable language lesson.
I may not understand all I'm singing but I'm learning to pronounce it
correctly. We sang one of the songs we have been practicing during the
birthday of the church, "Mam Velkeho Moceneho Krala" which means ...I
Have A Great Mighty King
I teach once a week at the local school where I assist with 2 English
classes and I am teaching some of the local village youth how to play
drum set. Both have been an interesting experience. I am struggling to
understand and communicate with the children but I am understanding and
speaking more everyday. Many of the kids try to joke around with me and
are interested mostly in learning "Dirty Verbs" as they call them. I try
my best to teach them proper and clean English.
There are 3 girls, Monika, Dominika and Veronika (they happen to be
triplets) who on occasion spend some time tutoring me and the 2 other
Germans volunteers in Slovak. It has been nice making new friends and
learning to have more detailed conversations in the process. I have made
2 observations in regards to dealing with the village kids. 1) All kids
are the same: Silly, Loud and Mischievous 2) Simple is always better
One weekend Vrbovce had its annual Jarmok (Market). The center of town
was filled with many people and vendors were selling things on the
streets. Clothing, Food, Handicrafts, etc. I saw many familiar faces
from the school and from church. The night before we had decorated
cookies with the youth group which were sold at the market. I had the
opportunity to buy some raffle tickets from the school. I didn't win
anything but; standing in the cold weather surrounded by tons of people
listening for my number to be called in Slovak was exciting.
I look forward to sharing many more stories with you as the year unfolds.
One of the things I have been asked to write about is how I see my role
as a Missionary. I have been reading some essays by a theologian Thomas
Morten. I have found a quote that I think sums of what mission is:
"Christ has planted in the world the seeds of something altogether new,
but they do not grow by themselves. Hence history has never yet really
had a chance to become a Christian creation. For the world to be
changed, man himself must begin to change it, he must take the
initiative, he must step forth and make a new kind of history. The
change begins within himself." Thomas Merton
As much as we want to change the world we must first let Christ
transform us. God has chosen US to be a part of global transformation.
It isn't easy; it is never easy to change. Christ's ultimate goal is
that hearts are transformed by his grace. We start by learning to really
love others and ourselves as Christ loved.
I am here in Slovakia not to change the people around me but, to let
Christ change me so that his love may be shown to those for whom I am
called to witness.
"This is real Love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends,
since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one
has ever seen God. But, if we love each other, God lives in us and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:10-12
Learning to Be Loved and To Love. Learning to see Christ in others and
ourselves. Dying to sin and being Raised again to Live in God's Mercy.
That is what we are called to as Christians. That is our Mission.
God's unbounded love be with you.
Your Fellow Servant and Brother in Christ
Serving in Slovakia
Mark
I want to again thank all of you who have and continue to support me
through prayer. It helps to know that we are together in the Lord
despite however far apart we may be. Please continue to pray for me and
the other young adult volunteers around the world.
I have been writing some other updates on my Blog for those of you who
are Internet savvy. The address is http://www.moltron.net/blog/
I also have many more pictures available at
http://flickr.com/photos/themoltron
Having been in Vrbovce for about 2 months, I am starting to become
familiar with the people and customs. I feel like I have a place in the
village.
Here is a small list of things I enjoy about living in Vrbovce.
- Seeing many of the same faces all the time
- The music and announcements over the village loudspeaker system 3 or 4
times a day
- When ever you are invited anywhere you will have some Slivovica (Plum
Brandy)
- Delivering lunches to the old ladies most everyday in the old car
- The made up language I have with the other volunteers. Oliver and Flo,
a mixture of Slovak, German and English
As I struggle with learning the language one word that I keep hearing
and repeating in my head is "Pomaly" or slowly/gently. The word has made
me think a lot about how I think about and do things. We all have a
tendency to want things fast and in a hurry. I am enjoying the slower
pace of life and learning how to enjoy the small moments and
experiences. I am learning to spend time with people, listen even if I
don't understand very much and take things as they come instead of
trying to stick to a schedule. I am reminded of one occasion when
Oliver, Flo and I were on our way to the school to eat lunch when one of
the neighbors needed some help. So we stopped and helped her haul
several bags of potatoes. It was a rather small favor. She then invited
us for Kava (coffee). Not being masters of the language we couldn't
politely say we had to go eat lunch at the school. So we had coffee,
which then turned into lunch. I am often overwhelmed by such kind and
random hospitality. I can see Christ reflected in the small things, like
being invited for coffee and it turning into lunch when we didn't even
do very much to deserve it. This is only one of many such stories.
I have never been a huge fan of wearing sweaters. As the weather gets
colder I am finding the layer system quite wonderful, which often
includes sweaters. One of the big things in Vrbovce is the Cultural
Hall. Every village in Slovakia has one. The one in Vrbovce is rather
run down and is right now being used for storage of the many things
donated from Germany or other parts of Europe. These items include
useless medical equipment, beds, furniture, lights, and clothes. We are
often asked to move things or thrown things away as the process of
cleaning up and renovating the culture hall is starting to take place.
The villagers are appreciative of any work that we do and often give us
cookies, cakes or Slivovica. Many fun times have been had looking at old
junk and sometimes taking things for our own use. One time we made an
imaginary car from some old junk and proceeded to make fun of our daily
lunch run. Many things are rather ridiculous but, a warm sweater is a
warm sweater and a nice couch is a nice couch. I look forward to helping
in the renovation process and seeing what will happen.
As part of getting to know the culture I have joined the local futball
team (soccer in the US), We practice once or twice a week and I have
made many friends and I am getting to know and use the language. I am
not that greatest at futball but, the rest of the players appreciate my
efforts and we often joke about it. I have enjoyed the exercise as well
as the opportunity to have a more active part in village life. I also
sing in the Choir, which has been a very much enjoyable language lesson.
I may not understand all I'm singing but I'm learning to pronounce it
correctly. We sang one of the songs we have been practicing during the
birthday of the church, "Mam Velkeho Moceneho Krala" which means ...I
Have A Great Mighty King
I teach once a week at the local school where I assist with 2 English
classes and I am teaching some of the local village youth how to play
drum set. Both have been an interesting experience. I am struggling to
understand and communicate with the children but I am understanding and
speaking more everyday. Many of the kids try to joke around with me and
are interested mostly in learning "Dirty Verbs" as they call them. I try
my best to teach them proper and clean English.
There are 3 girls, Monika, Dominika and Veronika (they happen to be
triplets) who on occasion spend some time tutoring me and the 2 other
Germans volunteers in Slovak. It has been nice making new friends and
learning to have more detailed conversations in the process. I have made
2 observations in regards to dealing with the village kids. 1) All kids
are the same: Silly, Loud and Mischievous 2) Simple is always better
One weekend Vrbovce had its annual Jarmok (Market). The center of town
was filled with many people and vendors were selling things on the
streets. Clothing, Food, Handicrafts, etc. I saw many familiar faces
from the school and from church. The night before we had decorated
cookies with the youth group which were sold at the market. I had the
opportunity to buy some raffle tickets from the school. I didn't win
anything but; standing in the cold weather surrounded by tons of people
listening for my number to be called in Slovak was exciting.
I look forward to sharing many more stories with you as the year unfolds.
One of the things I have been asked to write about is how I see my role
as a Missionary. I have been reading some essays by a theologian Thomas
Morten. I have found a quote that I think sums of what mission is:
"Christ has planted in the world the seeds of something altogether new,
but they do not grow by themselves. Hence history has never yet really
had a chance to become a Christian creation. For the world to be
changed, man himself must begin to change it, he must take the
initiative, he must step forth and make a new kind of history. The
change begins within himself." Thomas Merton
As much as we want to change the world we must first let Christ
transform us. God has chosen US to be a part of global transformation.
It isn't easy; it is never easy to change. Christ's ultimate goal is
that hearts are transformed by his grace. We start by learning to really
love others and ourselves as Christ loved.
I am here in Slovakia not to change the people around me but, to let
Christ change me so that his love may be shown to those for whom I am
called to witness.
"This is real Love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends,
since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one
has ever seen God. But, if we love each other, God lives in us and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:10-12
Learning to Be Loved and To Love. Learning to see Christ in others and
ourselves. Dying to sin and being Raised again to Live in God's Mercy.
That is what we are called to as Christians. That is our Mission.
God's unbounded love be with you.
Your Fellow Servant and Brother in Christ
Serving in Slovakia
Mark
October Newsletter-Update from Gatundu, Kenya - Sarah L.
October Newsletter
Habari!
Since my last newsletter was so late, I decided to send a short one for October. Things are going very well in Gatundu at Icaciri Secondary. I am fully immersed in maize and beans, Kikuyu language lunch conversations and handball (not to be confused with the handball of America). I will officially begin teaching English on Monday. The Form 4 (senior) students have begun their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams which has been a stressful time for everyone involved. The exams last until mid-November and are taken everyday, all day long. The exams are escorted by police to the school every day and each student takes the same exam. The KCSE determines if the student will go to college, which college, and even which major they qualify for. While C+ is a passing grade, I have heard that the University of Nairobi only accepts students who receive a B+ or above! No wonder the students are nervous.
This month, we were asked to reflect upon what "missionary" means in our context. The first thing that came to mind was "discount." Of course this is not the most important meaning of the word, but it has allowed me to talk my way out of being charged "non-resident" (or white) rates. Non-resident rates are sometimes 4x as expensive as resident or citizen rates and they are usually paid in U.S. dollars. I have not yet received my official resident card and therefore cannot prove that I live here. Sometimes by explaining that I am a "volunteer" or "missionary" I have been able to pay less. =)
But in all seriousness, "missionary" does not have the same connotations here as it does back home. Before I came, I found myself saying, "I'm going to be a missionary, but it's not what you think." I did not want people to think that I was going to Kenya to convert people or to make them think the way I do. I was coming to learn. For some reason, I felt as though I had to explain exactly what "missionary" meant to me and the Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) program.
Although most people in Gatundu do not know I'm a missionary, they know I've come to serve and be involved in their community. Many even know me as "Wanjiru" and not as Sarah. They know I am volunteering my time to be with them. They know that I really care about them and what goes on in our tiny village. I think that is what is important.
I don't need to call myself a "missionary" to be one.
If anything, I am humbled by the conviction of my students in regards to their faith. They pray openly, lead devotions in front of the 400+ student body and they even asked me on the first day if I was "saved." It is important to them. Faith is not only personal, but it affects the entire community here. They yearn for others to know and share in their passion for Christ. I have alot to learn from them.
I think that God is calling me to be a witness. Not a witness to the people of Gatundu, but a witness of the people of Gatundu. The community here truly love and serve God in everything that they do. What an amazing thing to witness.
*****
Now, as promised, I would like to expand your Kiswahili vocabulary. This month, the topic is Everyday Conversation. I've realized that people are impressed even if I add Kiswahili words into my English. People here mix languages all of the time, so I'm taking advantage of it!
*Sawa./Sawa?: ok/ok? People use this all of the time. It is multipurpose. It can mean 'Do you understand?' 'Are you following?' 'What do you think?' and even 'Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you.' It's a great little word.
*Kabisa: Absolutely or entirely. This is an exaggeration word. Usually it is said several times in a row, 'kabisa, kabisa, kabisa!'
*Ninii: ...or something. I am glad Kiswahili has a word for this. People say it as much as teenagers say "like" back home. I used to think they were saying "nini" which is "what", but the stress is on a different syllable. I like this word.
*kuja hapa: come here. I've learned that while this is entirely acceptable in Kenya, never, EVER, say this in Tanzania. It means the same thing, but it has an aggressive and rude connotation in Tanzania. I find myself saying this often, mostly because it's easy to remember. =)
*****
Lastly, a few prayer requests.
1. Please pray for the Form 4 students at Icaciri Secondary and throughout Kenya as they continue their exams.
2. I am walking in the Nairobi International Marathon on Sunday (the 10K, not the marathon).=) 15,000 people are coming from 52 countries to participate. Please pray for cool weather and for the health of the participants. All of the money raised goes to provide eye care in Kenya to minimize blindness from preventable diseases.
3. Continued prayers for the political leaders in Kenya. Presidential elections will most likely take place before Christmas. Please pray for strength, justice and peace.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! Blessings,
Sarah
Habari!
Since my last newsletter was so late, I decided to send a short one for October. Things are going very well in Gatundu at Icaciri Secondary. I am fully immersed in maize and beans, Kikuyu language lunch conversations and handball (not to be confused with the handball of America). I will officially begin teaching English on Monday. The Form 4 (senior) students have begun their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams which has been a stressful time for everyone involved. The exams last until mid-November and are taken everyday, all day long. The exams are escorted by police to the school every day and each student takes the same exam. The KCSE determines if the student will go to college, which college, and even which major they qualify for. While C+ is a passing grade, I have heard that the University of Nairobi only accepts students who receive a B+ or above! No wonder the students are nervous.
This month, we were asked to reflect upon what "missionary" means in our context. The first thing that came to mind was "discount." Of course this is not the most important meaning of the word, but it has allowed me to talk my way out of being charged "non-resident" (or white) rates. Non-resident rates are sometimes 4x as expensive as resident or citizen rates and they are usually paid in U.S. dollars. I have not yet received my official resident card and therefore cannot prove that I live here. Sometimes by explaining that I am a "volunteer" or "missionary" I have been able to pay less. =)
But in all seriousness, "missionary" does not have the same connotations here as it does back home. Before I came, I found myself saying, "I'm going to be a missionary, but it's not what you think." I did not want people to think that I was going to Kenya to convert people or to make them think the way I do. I was coming to learn. For some reason, I felt as though I had to explain exactly what "missionary" meant to me and the Young Adult in Global Mission (YAGM) program.
Although most people in Gatundu do not know I'm a missionary, they know I've come to serve and be involved in their community. Many even know me as "Wanjiru" and not as Sarah. They know I am volunteering my time to be with them. They know that I really care about them and what goes on in our tiny village. I think that is what is important.
I don't need to call myself a "missionary" to be one.
If anything, I am humbled by the conviction of my students in regards to their faith. They pray openly, lead devotions in front of the 400+ student body and they even asked me on the first day if I was "saved." It is important to them. Faith is not only personal, but it affects the entire community here. They yearn for others to know and share in their passion for Christ. I have alot to learn from them.
I think that God is calling me to be a witness. Not a witness to the people of Gatundu, but a witness of the people of Gatundu. The community here truly love and serve God in everything that they do. What an amazing thing to witness.
*****
Now, as promised, I would like to expand your Kiswahili vocabulary. This month, the topic is Everyday Conversation. I've realized that people are impressed even if I add Kiswahili words into my English. People here mix languages all of the time, so I'm taking advantage of it!
*Sawa./Sawa?: ok/ok? People use this all of the time. It is multipurpose. It can mean 'Do you understand?' 'Are you following?' 'What do you think?' and even 'Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you.' It's a great little word.
*Kabisa: Absolutely or entirely. This is an exaggeration word. Usually it is said several times in a row, 'kabisa, kabisa, kabisa!'
*Ninii: ...or something. I am glad Kiswahili has a word for this. People say it as much as teenagers say "like" back home. I used to think they were saying "nini" which is "what", but the stress is on a different syllable. I like this word.
*kuja hapa: come here. I've learned that while this is entirely acceptable in Kenya, never, EVER, say this in Tanzania. It means the same thing, but it has an aggressive and rude connotation in Tanzania. I find myself saying this often, mostly because it's easy to remember. =)
*****
Lastly, a few prayer requests.
1. Please pray for the Form 4 students at Icaciri Secondary and throughout Kenya as they continue their exams.
2. I am walking in the Nairobi International Marathon on Sunday (the 10K, not the marathon).=) 15,000 people are coming from 52 countries to participate. Please pray for cool weather and for the health of the participants. All of the money raised goes to provide eye care in Kenya to minimize blindness from preventable diseases.
3. Continued prayers for the political leaders in Kenya. Presidential elections will most likely take place before Christmas. Please pray for strength, justice and peace.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support! Blessings,
Sarah
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Oct. Newsletter - Katy in the UK
The Power of Prayer…
Katy - October Newsletter
Part of working for Bethany Christian Trust these past two months has been engaging in daily prayer with my coworkers on the days that I work. At first this took some getting used to for I have never been part of an organization beyond church that prays before. It has been a very good and in many ways freeing experience. The Bible talks about giving your fears and worries over to God and one way that is done is through prayer. For a person like me this is often a hard thing to accept. I am used to being proactive when something is bothering me. However, since being here I have had to slow down and pray about some of the problems within my work setting and there is a feeling of weight being lifted off. Although the problems may not be solved immediately or in the way that I would hope, there is something about saying out loud your fears to God and knowing that God is listening and will be working on them.
However, prayer is not only for times of trouble. We often think to pray to God when things are not going well, when we have a burden we need lifted or people we would like help for. Too often, we are guilty- myself included- of not thanking God for the good things he has provided in our lives on a regular basis. We take for granted the relationships we have, the Earth we live on and the small miracles we see everyday but don’t take notice of. Mostly my time here has just reminded me of the importance of prayer in our lives and the connection that it gives us to God. In many ways just taking the short time to pray everyday ensures that God is present in your thoughts throughout the day providing you with the knowledge that God is always with you and willing to listen should you want to talk.
Katy - October Newsletter
Part of working for Bethany Christian Trust these past two months has been engaging in daily prayer with my coworkers on the days that I work. At first this took some getting used to for I have never been part of an organization beyond church that prays before. It has been a very good and in many ways freeing experience. The Bible talks about giving your fears and worries over to God and one way that is done is through prayer. For a person like me this is often a hard thing to accept. I am used to being proactive when something is bothering me. However, since being here I have had to slow down and pray about some of the problems within my work setting and there is a feeling of weight being lifted off. Although the problems may not be solved immediately or in the way that I would hope, there is something about saying out loud your fears to God and knowing that God is listening and will be working on them.
However, prayer is not only for times of trouble. We often think to pray to God when things are not going well, when we have a burden we need lifted or people we would like help for. Too often, we are guilty- myself included- of not thanking God for the good things he has provided in our lives on a regular basis. We take for granted the relationships we have, the Earth we live on and the small miracles we see everyday but don’t take notice of. Mostly my time here has just reminded me of the importance of prayer in our lives and the connection that it gives us to God. In many ways just taking the short time to pray everyday ensures that God is present in your thoughts throughout the day providing you with the knowledge that God is always with you and willing to listen should you want to talk.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
October Newsletter - Christina in the UK
My Year in the World
October 2007
Volume 1, Issue 2
Christina
Young Adults in Global Mission
What does it mean to be a missionary in Buxton?
I am still in the process of finding my niche in Charis House. But what I have learned about working there and doing God's mission is that nothing is possible without love. In order to work with the residents, to care for them, to provide for them, one must have love. In order to work with staff at Charis House one must have love. God has love for all his creation and all of us. It is very important that in all our actions we are showing God's love to those around us. St. Francis Assisi wrote, "We must preach the gospel daily and use words if necessary." Throughout your life you may encounter people that you don't approve of or agree with, but the only action that should be taken towards them is shwoing them love. I beleve that is the best way to fulfull God's mission for us.
New Projects
Over the past few weeks I have begun a few new projects both related to my volunteering as well as fun things to keep me occupied in my spare time. Friday mornings I am doing a Bible study with a woman with severe learning disabilities. It is both very challenging and rewarding.
Also, one of my sorority sisters doing her student teaching this year has introduced the art of letter writing to her students by setting up pen-pals with some girls I'm in touch with in England. We are all very excited to see where this project leads all of us! I am also now in charge of finding crafts related to the weekly Bible story for the Little Fishes group (the mom/tots group).
For fun I have started going to aerobics on Tuesdays and a knitting group every other Thursday. Theses are both new activities for me!
Spotlight of the Month
Rosie (23) and her daughter Holly (3) are two residents from Charis House. The two have lived here for just over a year. She came to Charis House from another women's refuge in Newark. Her care-worker there was a huge influence in Rosie's life and vice-versa. This woman recommended Charis House to Rosie and after Rosie moved to Buxton, her former care-worker was forced to leave her job because of her Christian beliefs.
Rosie just returned to college this fall taking ACCESS courses, which will give her enough credits to start at a university when she is ready. She is currently taking psychology, biology, math, English, IT and study skills. She is really enjoying her classes, meeting new people and being around other Christians. After moving on from Charis House, Rosie is hoping to settle down with a husband and start a similar woman's refuge, but on a smaller scale, hopefully with her former care-worker from Newark.
She believes that part of her recovery process while at Charis House is helping others. She met one resident last year who is now thankful to have Rosie as a Christian influence in her life, and although her friend has moved on to a Christian rehab center they still keep in touch often.
Holly is a bright and exuberant 3 year old. She is working on spelling simply words and perfecting her counting and is always asking questions.
Through all these experiences she is excited that her life is coming back together piece by piece and is beginning to see the bigger picture of God's plans for her. (no confidentiality has been broken for this piece)
TFG Orientation Conference
The last week in September about 20 other TFG volunteers all gathered at Cliff's College about 30 minutes from Buxton for our Orientation conference. It was great to see a few of the other YAGMs that came over with as well as meeting other volunteers from around the world. There were young volunteers from Hungary, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, Uganda, and Belgium. We discussed many helpful things such as budgeting, culture shock, TFG's expectations for us as volunteers, our supervisors, and our placements, as well as what we should expect from our supervisors, placements, and TFG. But it was a little difficult that we were getting this information almost a month after our arrival in England and I had already figured a lot of the information out on my own. I have another conference coming up I'm looking forward to!
Want to Know More?
Blog:
www.cnalexengland.blogspot.com
Good News Family Care:
http://gnfc.org.uk
Time For God (TFG)
http://www.timeforgod.org
Learning a New Language
*knackered - exhausted
*ice lolly - popsicle
*tea - dinner/hot beverage
*pants - underwear
*bin - trash can
Prayer Requests
Lindsey and her family moved out of the house last week. Please pray for protection for them.
Tracey is having a difficult time adjusting to life in Charis House. Please pray for this difficult time for her and her son.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14
October 2007
Volume 1, Issue 2
Christina
Young Adults in Global Mission
What does it mean to be a missionary in Buxton?
I am still in the process of finding my niche in Charis House. But what I have learned about working there and doing God's mission is that nothing is possible without love. In order to work with the residents, to care for them, to provide for them, one must have love. In order to work with staff at Charis House one must have love. God has love for all his creation and all of us. It is very important that in all our actions we are showing God's love to those around us. St. Francis Assisi wrote, "We must preach the gospel daily and use words if necessary." Throughout your life you may encounter people that you don't approve of or agree with, but the only action that should be taken towards them is shwoing them love. I beleve that is the best way to fulfull God's mission for us.
New Projects
Over the past few weeks I have begun a few new projects both related to my volunteering as well as fun things to keep me occupied in my spare time. Friday mornings I am doing a Bible study with a woman with severe learning disabilities. It is both very challenging and rewarding.
Also, one of my sorority sisters doing her student teaching this year has introduced the art of letter writing to her students by setting up pen-pals with some girls I'm in touch with in England. We are all very excited to see where this project leads all of us! I am also now in charge of finding crafts related to the weekly Bible story for the Little Fishes group (the mom/tots group).
For fun I have started going to aerobics on Tuesdays and a knitting group every other Thursday. Theses are both new activities for me!
Spotlight of the Month
Rosie (23) and her daughter Holly (3) are two residents from Charis House. The two have lived here for just over a year. She came to Charis House from another women's refuge in Newark. Her care-worker there was a huge influence in Rosie's life and vice-versa. This woman recommended Charis House to Rosie and after Rosie moved to Buxton, her former care-worker was forced to leave her job because of her Christian beliefs.
Rosie just returned to college this fall taking ACCESS courses, which will give her enough credits to start at a university when she is ready. She is currently taking psychology, biology, math, English, IT and study skills. She is really enjoying her classes, meeting new people and being around other Christians. After moving on from Charis House, Rosie is hoping to settle down with a husband and start a similar woman's refuge, but on a smaller scale, hopefully with her former care-worker from Newark.
She believes that part of her recovery process while at Charis House is helping others. She met one resident last year who is now thankful to have Rosie as a Christian influence in her life, and although her friend has moved on to a Christian rehab center they still keep in touch often.
Holly is a bright and exuberant 3 year old. She is working on spelling simply words and perfecting her counting and is always asking questions.
Through all these experiences she is excited that her life is coming back together piece by piece and is beginning to see the bigger picture of God's plans for her. (no confidentiality has been broken for this piece)
TFG Orientation Conference
The last week in September about 20 other TFG volunteers all gathered at Cliff's College about 30 minutes from Buxton for our Orientation conference. It was great to see a few of the other YAGMs that came over with as well as meeting other volunteers from around the world. There were young volunteers from Hungary, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, Uganda, and Belgium. We discussed many helpful things such as budgeting, culture shock, TFG's expectations for us as volunteers, our supervisors, and our placements, as well as what we should expect from our supervisors, placements, and TFG. But it was a little difficult that we were getting this information almost a month after our arrival in England and I had already figured a lot of the information out on my own. I have another conference coming up I'm looking forward to!
Want to Know More?
Blog:
www.cnalexengland.blogspot.com
Good News Family Care:
http://gnfc.org.uk
Time For God (TFG)
http://www.timeforgod.org
Learning a New Language
*knackered - exhausted
*ice lolly - popsicle
*tea - dinner/hot beverage
*pants - underwear
*bin - trash can
Prayer Requests
Lindsey and her family moved out of the house last week. Please pray for protection for them.
Tracey is having a difficult time adjusting to life in Charis House. Please pray for this difficult time for her and her son.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14
September Newsletter - Ashley in Slovakia
Life in Koseca
Ashley, Young Adult in Global Mission
September Newsletter
After almost a month of language training in Velky Slavkov, and “orienteering” in Chicago and Bratislava, I finally arrived in Koseca, Slovakia on September 15th! The village of Koseca is small and quaint (about 2,000 people), and beautiful during the season’s change! Many people ask me “Isn’t it strange for you to go from the United States to Koseca? It’s so small.” They’re all surprised to hear that my hometown of Westbrook, Minnesota is actually even smaller than Koseca, so the size feels like home in many ways. I live and work in “the center” (more formally known as Stredisko Evanjelickej diakonie). It is essentially a nursing home, housing almost 50 residents.
It has been quite an interesting adventure, both living and working here!
I spend a lot of my time here helping the nurses: Anka, Vlasta, Eveta, Martin, Milan, Innes, Janka, Viera, Anitka, and Zuza. I’ve been helping with feeding some of the residents, bathing the residents, changing/getting them out of bed, and helping serving meals in the dining room. Almost every day at least once, I get to feed Bozena Krausova, which so far is my favorite part of the day. So far, the only things I know about her are that she used to be a professor in Russia, she doesn’t really like to eat meat, and she smiles when I talk to her! When I’m able to speak more Slovak, I’m going to ask the nurses more about her. I’m very curious to know more about her!
The other part of my volunteer work is teaching English at a high school in the neighboring village of Ilava. I have met many fun people through the school, and have had some interesting times with the students! I was given my own class to teach on Tuesdays and Fridays (10 girls who don’t speak very much English), and I also spend the remainder of those days helping the two head English teachers at Obchodna Akademia: Mirka and Beata. I go to their classes with them and speak about random topics for the students, have conversations with them, or read out of their textbooks for them so they can get listening practice. Mirka and Beata also give their students free time to ask me questions, which has been interesting. Anything from, “Why are you in Slovakia? Do you like Slovak boys?” to “What does America think of Slovakia? What do you think of 9/11, the war on terrorism, and President Bush?” All in all it has been a really great experience! More to come later on classroom adventures!
A main difference I have discovered between our culture and the Slovak culture is the food, and the way in which they eat it. It has been a new adventure every day trying new foods and drinks, eating more soup and cabbage then ever before, and less junk/fattening food. The Slovak people have been extremely friendly and hospitable, and they LOVE to offer food! Another main difference is obviously the language. The language barrier has been quite difficult, but often times exciting! I think I’ve made a lot of progress since being here in Koseca, more than I made in actual language training! I love attempting conversations with the residents, even if my part of the conversation usually only consists of “Dobry den” (Good afternoon), “Ako sa mas?” (How are you) and “Dovidenia” (Goodbye). They sweetly pat me on the head and pinch my cheeks as I listen and attempt to understand. I’m excited for the coming days when I’ll be able to have fuller conversations with them!
I spent the last four years in college trying to discover myself, what I’m capable of doing, and what God’s purpose was for putting me on this Earth. As I chose a major and finished my years of studying, I could say with confidence that:
A) I was not meant to be an educator.
B) I was not meant to work in health care.
Upon arrival in Koseca, I was informed that I would be:
A) Teaching English at a local high school
B) Working with the nurses at the center, caring for the patients
So far on this adventure, He has taught me to open my mind (not only with the jobs I’m doing) in so many aspects and opened new doors for my life that I never imagined would be opened. He’s reminded me that even when I think I know what’s best for my life, it’s actually Him who knows. I look forward to growing in this community of people and seeing how He uses me this year!
Thank you so much for all of your support!! To read more about my experiences, check out my blog online at: www.ashleyrenslovak.blogspot.com
Ashley, Young Adult in Global Mission
September Newsletter
After almost a month of language training in Velky Slavkov, and “orienteering” in Chicago and Bratislava, I finally arrived in Koseca, Slovakia on September 15th! The village of Koseca is small and quaint (about 2,000 people), and beautiful during the season’s change! Many people ask me “Isn’t it strange for you to go from the United States to Koseca? It’s so small.” They’re all surprised to hear that my hometown of Westbrook, Minnesota is actually even smaller than Koseca, so the size feels like home in many ways. I live and work in “the center” (more formally known as Stredisko Evanjelickej diakonie). It is essentially a nursing home, housing almost 50 residents.
It has been quite an interesting adventure, both living and working here!
I spend a lot of my time here helping the nurses: Anka, Vlasta, Eveta, Martin, Milan, Innes, Janka, Viera, Anitka, and Zuza. I’ve been helping with feeding some of the residents, bathing the residents, changing/getting them out of bed, and helping serving meals in the dining room. Almost every day at least once, I get to feed Bozena Krausova, which so far is my favorite part of the day. So far, the only things I know about her are that she used to be a professor in Russia, she doesn’t really like to eat meat, and she smiles when I talk to her! When I’m able to speak more Slovak, I’m going to ask the nurses more about her. I’m very curious to know more about her!
The other part of my volunteer work is teaching English at a high school in the neighboring village of Ilava. I have met many fun people through the school, and have had some interesting times with the students! I was given my own class to teach on Tuesdays and Fridays (10 girls who don’t speak very much English), and I also spend the remainder of those days helping the two head English teachers at Obchodna Akademia: Mirka and Beata. I go to their classes with them and speak about random topics for the students, have conversations with them, or read out of their textbooks for them so they can get listening practice. Mirka and Beata also give their students free time to ask me questions, which has been interesting. Anything from, “Why are you in Slovakia? Do you like Slovak boys?” to “What does America think of Slovakia? What do you think of 9/11, the war on terrorism, and President Bush?” All in all it has been a really great experience! More to come later on classroom adventures!
A main difference I have discovered between our culture and the Slovak culture is the food, and the way in which they eat it. It has been a new adventure every day trying new foods and drinks, eating more soup and cabbage then ever before, and less junk/fattening food. The Slovak people have been extremely friendly and hospitable, and they LOVE to offer food! Another main difference is obviously the language. The language barrier has been quite difficult, but often times exciting! I think I’ve made a lot of progress since being here in Koseca, more than I made in actual language training! I love attempting conversations with the residents, even if my part of the conversation usually only consists of “Dobry den” (Good afternoon), “Ako sa mas?” (How are you) and “Dovidenia” (Goodbye). They sweetly pat me on the head and pinch my cheeks as I listen and attempt to understand. I’m excited for the coming days when I’ll be able to have fuller conversations with them!
I spent the last four years in college trying to discover myself, what I’m capable of doing, and what God’s purpose was for putting me on this Earth. As I chose a major and finished my years of studying, I could say with confidence that:
A) I was not meant to be an educator.
B) I was not meant to work in health care.
Upon arrival in Koseca, I was informed that I would be:
A) Teaching English at a local high school
B) Working with the nurses at the center, caring for the patients
So far on this adventure, He has taught me to open my mind (not only with the jobs I’m doing) in so many aspects and opened new doors for my life that I never imagined would be opened. He’s reminded me that even when I think I know what’s best for my life, it’s actually Him who knows. I look forward to growing in this community of people and seeing how He uses me this year!
Thank you so much for all of your support!! To read more about my experiences, check out my blog online at: www.ashleyrenslovak.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
September Newsletter - Amanda in the UK
It’s a rather quiet afternoon here at the church. The office is empty, afternoon tea is being cleared away; and, of course, it’s raining. Occasionally during ordinary moments like these, I take the time to breathe and think…and suddenly realize, holy cow! I’m in London!
I still find it amazing that I ended up in Primrose Hill, London, of all places in the world. As you probably know, I am volunteering through the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Mission program. When I completed the application last February, I had already put much time and thought into the notion of spending a year abroad in mission. I was ready to go the depths of Africa or Latin America, to live and serve those who are “less fortunate” than myself.
Looking back, I realize this is a very traditional definition of a missionary: to see ourselves as first-world “heroes” with so much to offer. God, of course, had other plans; and in His infinite sense of irony opened up a position for a church in Primrose Hill, one of London’s most affluent neighborhoods.
Of course, the prospect of sanitation and plumbing were quite a relief, but I still struggle to redefine the term missionary. Most people who I’ve spoken to, either at home or here in London, ask a similar question: “What does London need of missionaries? Why not Africa or somewhere less developed?” My standard answer is that God needs missionaries everywhere. It has therefore been my project this first month to discern whether or not I truly believe and live out this principle.
Primrose Hill is a rather “posh” neighborhood, as my British friends would put it. One pays around £1,000 a week to rent out a flat, and owning a home costs a fortune. It attracts the rich and famous; and I can now boast of living in the same neighborhood as Jude Law and Ewan McGregor.
Primrose Hill gets its name from the spacious park in the center of its homes and schools. Climb to the top of Primrose Hill and you get an extraordinary view of the London skyline. However, if you were to turn around and look in the other direction, you cannot ignore the five tower blocks that spring up among the wealthy homes. These are packed with flats that go for a much lower price; and therefore, the neighborhood is a strange mix of wealthy families and those of middle or lower classes.
Our church, Saint Mary the Virgin, includes congregants from both social extremes. It is one of the few environments where social classes mix; otherwise, everything from where you buy your groceries to where you send your kids to school is dictated by wealth. Unfortunately, class is one of the factors that inhibits Christian community at St Mary’s. For example, two of my coworkers coordinate “Family Football” each Sunday, inviting members to play soccer together in the park. They told me of a few families who came regularly, until the Sunday where children from the blocks showed up. These families have not come back since. Other examples are when the youth clubs organize residentials (retreats). There have been instances where the wealthy parents are waiting with their kids the morning of departure, with suitcases packed and everything; yet when kids from the blocks show up they pull their children out and take them home.
Instances like these are unforeseen challenges in my vocation. Prior to arriving at St. Mary’s, I hadn’t put much thought into class dynamics within a church. My hometown of Bismarck is largely middle class, so class distinctions are less obvious in my home church. Community and fellowship come easier since most people come from a similar social and economic situation. I therefore feel a bit unprepared to meet these challenges, since I am an outsider to the situation. However, my supervisor has helped me to see how my outsider position can also be a blessing. My past experiences demonstrate that it is possible to be more inclusive within a church.
These differences play little role in my day to day work, yet they remain in the back of my mind. Thus I’ve moved outside of my youth work to explore options to bridge this gap. I’ve talked to my supervisor about initiating informal activities such as meals to encourage fellowship among parishioners, using my home church’s Dinners for Eight as an example. Further, I’ve never heard of a church that doesn’t do potlucks! This could also be a way to stop the trend of leaving immediately after the church service.
I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to fill an entire newsletter, but looking back I’ve only touched upon so little! I feel like I should tell a bit of my daily routine and what sort of work I have been involved in.
My primary position at this church is “youth worker.” Quite remarkably, we have a team of about 6 youth workers in our average-sized parish. This is very different from the conventional Lutheran church in North Dakota, which normally has one or two people assigned the role as “youth pastor” for the entire church. The reason we have so many is because of the St. Mary’s Centre, which focuses on outreach and social inclusion to the greater society. Therefore, we are all involved in various projects, from detached work to lunchtime outreach to cell groups and young person’s worship.
The majority of us live together as well in St. Peter’s vicarage. Although St. Mary’s is expanding in numbers, two other local parishes—St. Peter’s and St. Saviour’s—have very small numbers and therefore share one vicar. Father Paul lives at the vicarage of St. Saviour’s, and the church has decided to leave St. Peter’s vicarage open for young adults involved in church work. This is a remarkable decision, considering the value of land in its area. The church could easily tear down the vicarage and turn it into flats, thereby solving all of its financial woes; but instead they believe in the ministry of presence of the vicarage. Even though we are surrounded by wealth, nearly 80% of people live in flats by themselves. We are working to create a sense of community within the neighborhood and are looking to open our garden on Sundays for community meals.
The vicarage itself has been a huge blessing…as well as a source of many trials. I was certainly a bit concerned about moving into such a prosperous neighborhood; but by the time I got off of my international flight and survived fighting through the London underground at rush hour with all of my luggage I was ready to settle down at my new home. The house was described to me as “large,” “spacious,” and “very nice.” My anticipation was building as Jack, a coworker who met me at the tube station, took me past house all of beautiful homes. At last we arrived at the vicarage, and immediately my opinion changed: not only was the vicarage easily spotted by its run-down 1950’s design, but it seemed hardly able to contain the clutter that just lay in the entry way. Quite reluctantly, I stepped across the threshold wondering “What am I getting myself into?” Clare took me to the kitchen and kindly made me a cup of tea, giving me the opportunity to take in the state of the kitchen. After miraculously finding clean mugs and discovering the chairs in the front yard, we sat down and I had my first of several English teas.
Next came the tour. We have two toilets, but only one room with a shower. The bath was no longer white, and the puny shower head was dangling tragically from the wall. “The shower is not too nice,” Clare says, “but I don’t wash up that often so it doesn’t bother me.” Finding a shower would not be my best option of relaxing, Clare showed me to my room so that I could start to catch up on my lost hours. Now that the house was full, I was given what was previously known as the “prayer room.” It is the smallest room, which in itself isn’t a problem; but the garish orange walls made it feel like it was contracting. I had no bed, but a double mattress that virtually took up the entire floor. As Clare left me to my nap, I took a took a moment to sit and ponder my new circumstance. I’m not living in a posh mansion but sleeping on the floor of a home without a proper shower or a clean kitchen. God had, after all, given me the full missionary experience! Smiling at the irony, I lay down and had a long and rejuvenating rest.
The housing arrangements did improve, as I took it upon myself to make my room my own. Only two days later, while going for a run, I passed a bed that was left on the pavement for collection. Clare and I carried it up to our home, ignoring the stares of our neighbors. She told me that all of the furniture was either donated or taken off the street or in skips (dumpsters). The bed was in perfect condition and even had drawers underneath, a perfect fit for my tiny room. Also, after a week of pulsating orange walls, I had a night of therapeutic painting where I attacked the orange with a pure, serene blue. The next morning I awoke and stared for several moments at the calming blue in front of me, pondering the fact that God truly does provide. The vicarage has been an amazing blessing in that it has demonstrated this to me.
The greatest blessing of all, however, is not the furniture but the people with whom I live with. It is nearly impossible to meet people in London, yet the vicarage has provided me with people from the start. Furthermore, only a week after my arrival a young woman named Anna arrived. She, too, is new to London and to the crazy vicarage life; and together we have supported each and helped each other to adjust. I thank God continuously for the friends he has given me; their companionship helped me to get through the difficult first month without suffering extreme homesickness.
I’ve kept rather busy, not allowing myself to sit and think about the bigger picture: that I’m gone from my home, my family, and my friends for an entire year. After this first month, though, I’ve realized that I haven’t taken any time for silence and self-reflection, one of the major things that this year is supposed to be about. I can tell how easily one can become distracted in the city of London, so it is my goal to start to slow down and live more simply, taking the time to reflect and pray.
You can look forward to another newsletter soon, since we are already half-way through October. Hopefully it won’t be quite so massive, but I felt as though I should give a thorough account about my life over here. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. Even in the more difficult moments, I remember all of you and realize that I am not taking this journey alone. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers!
Please take care, and, if you have the time, drop me a line and let me know how life is going for you!
Many blessings,
Amanda
I still find it amazing that I ended up in Primrose Hill, London, of all places in the world. As you probably know, I am volunteering through the ELCA’s Young Adult in Global Mission program. When I completed the application last February, I had already put much time and thought into the notion of spending a year abroad in mission. I was ready to go the depths of Africa or Latin America, to live and serve those who are “less fortunate” than myself.
Looking back, I realize this is a very traditional definition of a missionary: to see ourselves as first-world “heroes” with so much to offer. God, of course, had other plans; and in His infinite sense of irony opened up a position for a church in Primrose Hill, one of London’s most affluent neighborhoods.
Of course, the prospect of sanitation and plumbing were quite a relief, but I still struggle to redefine the term missionary. Most people who I’ve spoken to, either at home or here in London, ask a similar question: “What does London need of missionaries? Why not Africa or somewhere less developed?” My standard answer is that God needs missionaries everywhere. It has therefore been my project this first month to discern whether or not I truly believe and live out this principle.
Primrose Hill is a rather “posh” neighborhood, as my British friends would put it. One pays around £1,000 a week to rent out a flat, and owning a home costs a fortune. It attracts the rich and famous; and I can now boast of living in the same neighborhood as Jude Law and Ewan McGregor.
Primrose Hill gets its name from the spacious park in the center of its homes and schools. Climb to the top of Primrose Hill and you get an extraordinary view of the London skyline. However, if you were to turn around and look in the other direction, you cannot ignore the five tower blocks that spring up among the wealthy homes. These are packed with flats that go for a much lower price; and therefore, the neighborhood is a strange mix of wealthy families and those of middle or lower classes.
Our church, Saint Mary the Virgin, includes congregants from both social extremes. It is one of the few environments where social classes mix; otherwise, everything from where you buy your groceries to where you send your kids to school is dictated by wealth. Unfortunately, class is one of the factors that inhibits Christian community at St Mary’s. For example, two of my coworkers coordinate “Family Football” each Sunday, inviting members to play soccer together in the park. They told me of a few families who came regularly, until the Sunday where children from the blocks showed up. These families have not come back since. Other examples are when the youth clubs organize residentials (retreats). There have been instances where the wealthy parents are waiting with their kids the morning of departure, with suitcases packed and everything; yet when kids from the blocks show up they pull their children out and take them home.
Instances like these are unforeseen challenges in my vocation. Prior to arriving at St. Mary’s, I hadn’t put much thought into class dynamics within a church. My hometown of Bismarck is largely middle class, so class distinctions are less obvious in my home church. Community and fellowship come easier since most people come from a similar social and economic situation. I therefore feel a bit unprepared to meet these challenges, since I am an outsider to the situation. However, my supervisor has helped me to see how my outsider position can also be a blessing. My past experiences demonstrate that it is possible to be more inclusive within a church.
These differences play little role in my day to day work, yet they remain in the back of my mind. Thus I’ve moved outside of my youth work to explore options to bridge this gap. I’ve talked to my supervisor about initiating informal activities such as meals to encourage fellowship among parishioners, using my home church’s Dinners for Eight as an example. Further, I’ve never heard of a church that doesn’t do potlucks! This could also be a way to stop the trend of leaving immediately after the church service.
I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t be able to fill an entire newsletter, but looking back I’ve only touched upon so little! I feel like I should tell a bit of my daily routine and what sort of work I have been involved in.
My primary position at this church is “youth worker.” Quite remarkably, we have a team of about 6 youth workers in our average-sized parish. This is very different from the conventional Lutheran church in North Dakota, which normally has one or two people assigned the role as “youth pastor” for the entire church. The reason we have so many is because of the St. Mary’s Centre, which focuses on outreach and social inclusion to the greater society. Therefore, we are all involved in various projects, from detached work to lunchtime outreach to cell groups and young person’s worship.
The majority of us live together as well in St. Peter’s vicarage. Although St. Mary’s is expanding in numbers, two other local parishes—St. Peter’s and St. Saviour’s—have very small numbers and therefore share one vicar. Father Paul lives at the vicarage of St. Saviour’s, and the church has decided to leave St. Peter’s vicarage open for young adults involved in church work. This is a remarkable decision, considering the value of land in its area. The church could easily tear down the vicarage and turn it into flats, thereby solving all of its financial woes; but instead they believe in the ministry of presence of the vicarage. Even though we are surrounded by wealth, nearly 80% of people live in flats by themselves. We are working to create a sense of community within the neighborhood and are looking to open our garden on Sundays for community meals.
The vicarage itself has been a huge blessing…as well as a source of many trials. I was certainly a bit concerned about moving into such a prosperous neighborhood; but by the time I got off of my international flight and survived fighting through the London underground at rush hour with all of my luggage I was ready to settle down at my new home. The house was described to me as “large,” “spacious,” and “very nice.” My anticipation was building as Jack, a coworker who met me at the tube station, took me past house all of beautiful homes. At last we arrived at the vicarage, and immediately my opinion changed: not only was the vicarage easily spotted by its run-down 1950’s design, but it seemed hardly able to contain the clutter that just lay in the entry way. Quite reluctantly, I stepped across the threshold wondering “What am I getting myself into?” Clare took me to the kitchen and kindly made me a cup of tea, giving me the opportunity to take in the state of the kitchen. After miraculously finding clean mugs and discovering the chairs in the front yard, we sat down and I had my first of several English teas.
Next came the tour. We have two toilets, but only one room with a shower. The bath was no longer white, and the puny shower head was dangling tragically from the wall. “The shower is not too nice,” Clare says, “but I don’t wash up that often so it doesn’t bother me.” Finding a shower would not be my best option of relaxing, Clare showed me to my room so that I could start to catch up on my lost hours. Now that the house was full, I was given what was previously known as the “prayer room.” It is the smallest room, which in itself isn’t a problem; but the garish orange walls made it feel like it was contracting. I had no bed, but a double mattress that virtually took up the entire floor. As Clare left me to my nap, I took a took a moment to sit and ponder my new circumstance. I’m not living in a posh mansion but sleeping on the floor of a home without a proper shower or a clean kitchen. God had, after all, given me the full missionary experience! Smiling at the irony, I lay down and had a long and rejuvenating rest.
The housing arrangements did improve, as I took it upon myself to make my room my own. Only two days later, while going for a run, I passed a bed that was left on the pavement for collection. Clare and I carried it up to our home, ignoring the stares of our neighbors. She told me that all of the furniture was either donated or taken off the street or in skips (dumpsters). The bed was in perfect condition and even had drawers underneath, a perfect fit for my tiny room. Also, after a week of pulsating orange walls, I had a night of therapeutic painting where I attacked the orange with a pure, serene blue. The next morning I awoke and stared for several moments at the calming blue in front of me, pondering the fact that God truly does provide. The vicarage has been an amazing blessing in that it has demonstrated this to me.
The greatest blessing of all, however, is not the furniture but the people with whom I live with. It is nearly impossible to meet people in London, yet the vicarage has provided me with people from the start. Furthermore, only a week after my arrival a young woman named Anna arrived. She, too, is new to London and to the crazy vicarage life; and together we have supported each and helped each other to adjust. I thank God continuously for the friends he has given me; their companionship helped me to get through the difficult first month without suffering extreme homesickness.
I’ve kept rather busy, not allowing myself to sit and think about the bigger picture: that I’m gone from my home, my family, and my friends for an entire year. After this first month, though, I’ve realized that I haven’t taken any time for silence and self-reflection, one of the major things that this year is supposed to be about. I can tell how easily one can become distracted in the city of London, so it is my goal to start to slow down and live more simply, taking the time to reflect and pray.
You can look forward to another newsletter soon, since we are already half-way through October. Hopefully it won’t be quite so massive, but I felt as though I should give a thorough account about my life over here. Thank you again for all of your support and prayers. Even in the more difficult moments, I remember all of you and realize that I am not taking this journey alone. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers!
Please take care, and, if you have the time, drop me a line and let me know how life is going for you!
Many blessings,
Amanda
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
October Newsletter - Crystal in the UK
October 2007 Newsletter
Scottish Word of the Month: chuffed- proud “ I am so chuffed at my new found climbing ability.”
Quote of the Month: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid...for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua 1:9
So, I have been abroad for over a month now. It is so hard to believe. I am really starting to settle in and know my way around our little Glen. I have found a place where I can get my riding fix when I have some free time. The Owners of Gulabin Lodge, which is only two and half miles down the road from us, own 2 horses. However, the road there seems like it is uphill both ways especially when it is windy. I am going to be taking care of Rosie (a little Shetland pony) and Stanley (a welsh cob), while Teresa and Darren are on holiday with their 3 girls. The oldest girl, Tilly (12 years) and the youngest, Maisie (2 years) are avid little equestrians. I spent one Saturday going to a little local show to watch Tilly ride, she did quite well and received a 4th place rosette. I had the hardest time figuring out who had won because their ribbon colors are different so for example: first place was red instead of blue.
In Mid- September, Time For God invited us down to Cliff College for a little retreat. So, Sunny (my roommate) and I got to miss 4 days worth of work and travel by train down to Sheffield, which is in central England. The retreat was a welcome respite and a chance for rejuvenation. I got to meet up with some of the boys and girls that I had met at the ELCA Conference in Chicago and then meet other volunteers from Macedonia, Sweden, Slovakia, South Korea and Germany. The conference was really relaxing because they gave us time to learn and then time to explore. So on part of our time off, a group of us went to Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devon. Actually, for those of you that have watched Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, you have already seen a part of Chatsworth when you watch Keira Knightly admiring the statues and the bust of Mr. Darcy. However, it was the grounds that were most impressive with their maze, cascade, and modern art collection courtesy of Sotheby’s. On the second day, we (me, 3 Germans and 2 South Koreans) climbed the footpath to the top of the cliff in typical English rainy weather and then made an adventurous trek down by forging our own way home through forests of ferns and heather and over rock walls and through a field of cattle. We were absolutely soaked but we made it back in time for dinner, which we were not sure we were going to do when we were in the middle of our adventure.
So, at this point you are probably wondering why I have a quote of the month. Well, honestly I think it is a nice reminder to not be afraid and try new things and you might even surprise yourself. Just the other day one of the instructors, Joe, took my roomies, Sunny and Erin, and me abseiling in Ballater, which near Balmoral (the Queen’s summer home). I made my way down this amazing cliff trying not to look down as I climbed down and then before I knew my feet where planted firmly on the soil. Then the next question was do you want to climb back up? Well, Well… Maybe… Since Sunny and Erin were not volunteering and Joe needed the practice for his SPA Assessment, I took the proverbial bull by the horns and went for it. The first few minutes when I was trying to find my footholds and where to place my hands to have leverage to pull my way up were when the moments of doubt started to set in. “Crystal Marie… you are crazy… you can not possibly reach the top off this little summit… just tell Joe you give up” When I took a deep breath pushed out those little doubts and made the commitment to try my absolute hardest it all started to come together. I took a leap of faith and committed to making the climb and boy was the reward worth it. As I got to the very top the sun was just finishing its descent behind the mountains and lending a peachy glow to the horizon. It was breathtaking… Absolutely Awe inspiring! So, that was my moment of being courageous, of going beyond my normal bounds of activity and it was well worth it. Plus, an enormous amount of personal satisfaction for conquering my fears and climbing a Very Difficult Cliff (the technical rating for the cliff I climbed.)
I hope this newsletter finds everyone well and I wanted to thank everyone that has sent me emails over the last month. I really appreciate everyone’s support. If anyone knows of any fun campfire songs to teach young kids all of the staff at Compass are always looking for new inspiration or if anyone has any easy recipes that a kid tested and mother approved we are always looking for new thing to sing or try out.
God Bless from the Girl that has caught the Rock Climbing Bug in Scotland,
Crystal
Scottish Word of the Month: chuffed- proud “ I am so chuffed at my new found climbing ability.”
Quote of the Month: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid...for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Joshua 1:9
So, I have been abroad for over a month now. It is so hard to believe. I am really starting to settle in and know my way around our little Glen. I have found a place where I can get my riding fix when I have some free time. The Owners of Gulabin Lodge, which is only two and half miles down the road from us, own 2 horses. However, the road there seems like it is uphill both ways especially when it is windy. I am going to be taking care of Rosie (a little Shetland pony) and Stanley (a welsh cob), while Teresa and Darren are on holiday with their 3 girls. The oldest girl, Tilly (12 years) and the youngest, Maisie (2 years) are avid little equestrians. I spent one Saturday going to a little local show to watch Tilly ride, she did quite well and received a 4th place rosette. I had the hardest time figuring out who had won because their ribbon colors are different so for example: first place was red instead of blue.
In Mid- September, Time For God invited us down to Cliff College for a little retreat. So, Sunny (my roommate) and I got to miss 4 days worth of work and travel by train down to Sheffield, which is in central England. The retreat was a welcome respite and a chance for rejuvenation. I got to meet up with some of the boys and girls that I had met at the ELCA Conference in Chicago and then meet other volunteers from Macedonia, Sweden, Slovakia, South Korea and Germany. The conference was really relaxing because they gave us time to learn and then time to explore. So on part of our time off, a group of us went to Chatsworth, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devon. Actually, for those of you that have watched Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly, you have already seen a part of Chatsworth when you watch Keira Knightly admiring the statues and the bust of Mr. Darcy. However, it was the grounds that were most impressive with their maze, cascade, and modern art collection courtesy of Sotheby’s. On the second day, we (me, 3 Germans and 2 South Koreans) climbed the footpath to the top of the cliff in typical English rainy weather and then made an adventurous trek down by forging our own way home through forests of ferns and heather and over rock walls and through a field of cattle. We were absolutely soaked but we made it back in time for dinner, which we were not sure we were going to do when we were in the middle of our adventure.
So, at this point you are probably wondering why I have a quote of the month. Well, honestly I think it is a nice reminder to not be afraid and try new things and you might even surprise yourself. Just the other day one of the instructors, Joe, took my roomies, Sunny and Erin, and me abseiling in Ballater, which near Balmoral (the Queen’s summer home). I made my way down this amazing cliff trying not to look down as I climbed down and then before I knew my feet where planted firmly on the soil. Then the next question was do you want to climb back up? Well, Well… Maybe… Since Sunny and Erin were not volunteering and Joe needed the practice for his SPA Assessment, I took the proverbial bull by the horns and went for it. The first few minutes when I was trying to find my footholds and where to place my hands to have leverage to pull my way up were when the moments of doubt started to set in. “Crystal Marie… you are crazy… you can not possibly reach the top off this little summit… just tell Joe you give up” When I took a deep breath pushed out those little doubts and made the commitment to try my absolute hardest it all started to come together. I took a leap of faith and committed to making the climb and boy was the reward worth it. As I got to the very top the sun was just finishing its descent behind the mountains and lending a peachy glow to the horizon. It was breathtaking… Absolutely Awe inspiring! So, that was my moment of being courageous, of going beyond my normal bounds of activity and it was well worth it. Plus, an enormous amount of personal satisfaction for conquering my fears and climbing a Very Difficult Cliff (the technical rating for the cliff I climbed.)
I hope this newsletter finds everyone well and I wanted to thank everyone that has sent me emails over the last month. I really appreciate everyone’s support. If anyone knows of any fun campfire songs to teach young kids all of the staff at Compass are always looking for new inspiration or if anyone has any easy recipes that a kid tested and mother approved we are always looking for new thing to sing or try out.
God Bless from the Girl that has caught the Rock Climbing Bug in Scotland,
Crystal
September ( Aprendiendo Castellano/ Learnind Spanish) Pictures willcome soon ;)
Septiembre 2007
Saludos queridos amigos/as en el caribe y otras partes del mundo;)
Ya vino y se fue septiembre y les cuento que me ha ido bien. Entrando en este programa ya sabia que mi experiencia como iba ser diferente al de las que vinieron antes. Primero por venir de una cultura que no es necesariamente la de los estados unidos y segundo por que ya hablo español.
Aun así hay mucho que se pierde en la traducción y para mi ha sido toda una aventura el aprender castellano a lo Argentino. Todo país tiene su jerga y dichos, igual todos sabemos que si visitamos a otros países de habla hispana hasta la comida puede disfrazarse de otro nombre. Melocotones se han convertido en duraznos, la piña ahora se llama ananá, un bochinche es un alboroto y una chusma es una bochinchera. Y peor con la detección de malas palabras cuando trabajo con los niños chicos (pequeños) o los pibes (jóvenes).
Mas aya de las palabras todo me va bien. Vivo en el Hogar Universitario Luterano con seis chicas más en los altos y cinco chicos en el primer piso del hogar. Yo tengo mi habitación en el medio entre los dos, paralelo con el comedor de las chicas y la oficina de la pastora Báez. El hogar le pertenece a la Iglesia Luterana San Timoteo en donde estoy sirviendo como voluntaria. El mismo celebra su aniversario de 50 años ahora el día 3 de noviembre.
Algunos momentos y recuerdos sacados de mi cajita de memoria colectiva:
Vida en San Timoteo:
50 años de una congregación: Parte de mi trabajo ha sido ayudar en crear una línea cronológica de la historia de la congregación. Entre fotos recuerdos, recortes y recuentos poco a poco he podido mirar a través de la ventana que muestra lo que ha sido la vida de esta comunidad. Más aya de lo que pueda leer esta lo que escucho en las celebraciones semanales y las visitas a la pastora donde conozco quienes son estas personas hoy.
También en este recorrido he podido leer las actas de los delegados de las distintas casas que componían el Hogar Universitario Luterano en los años 60-71. Cada acta fue escrita en el puño y letra del que dirigió la reunión, por lo tanto mientras leo me siento como si personas distintas me estuviesen hablando. En comparación hasta el momento, universitarios viviendo en el Hogar en aquel entonces tienen muchas de las mismas preocupaciones que se tienen hoy en día. ¿Como compartimos? ¿Como cuidamos de este espacio en el cual todos convivimos?
Mirando todas estas cosas pinto la imagen de que la iglesia es en muchos casos como un hogar donde convivimos y tenemos que ponernos de acuerdo en como cuidar de ella cada uno poniendo de su parte. Y esto no significa que siempre van a ver acuerdos ni siquiera que nos vamos a llevar bien el 100% del tiempo pero en familia las situaciones son iguales. Las relaciones entre seres humanos por mas llenos de o falta de amor son difíciles.
Continuamos en preparación de la celebración del 50 aniversario, de camino celebramos mientras compartíamos historias durante un taller de autoestima y mas aun celebramos que después de tantos días de lluvia al fin a salido el sol. Ojala que pronto empiece el calor.
Y yo celebro que estoy aquí y me reconocen como parte nueva de la comunidad. Este sábado pasado mientras esperábamos por comenzar una reunión de comunidad una de las damas Zulma comento de lo callada que soy. Se acordaba de las otras voluntarias que se pasaban preguntando “Como se dice esto, como se dice lo otro…” Pensó que ya que hablo español estaría hablando mucho más. “No es malo sino diferente.” Dijo en fin pero el que me conoce sabe que me gusta sentarme a escuchar y tengo mis momentos de comentario o compartir. Después Zulma me pregunto sobre mi familia y salio la parte de mi que le gusta contar historias y pude compartir quienes son mi familia. Luego el domingo esa parte de mi tuvo otra oportunidad en donde les leí un poema que escribí estando aquí. Espero que en mi manera diferente y el intercambio de historias y poemas nos podamos conocer…
Vida en HUL (Hogar Universitario Luterano)
Cuando llegué al Hogar todos se encontraban estudiando para exámenes. ¡Les cuento que en mi transcurso académico nunca vi a un grupo de personas estudiar tanto!
Se perdían entre hojas para leer, resúmenes por redactar y proyectos por entregar.
Por las tardes como eso de las 9, 10 de la noche se reúnen para cenar. Muchas veces pasa alguien preguntando que va comer cada cual y se terminan juntando 2 o 4 o 9 para comer. Se sale a comprar los materiales y luego dividimos el costo. Cuando ya nos llenamos y es hora de guardar y lavar salen las cartitas. El juego de las cartitas consiste en que el nombre de todo el que comió se escribe en un papelito. Luego se van sacando el nombre que queda al final es la persona que lavara los platos. A menos que salga un comodín. Los comodines son aquellas personas que cocinaron y ayudaron en la preparación de la comida. Si sale un comodín se vuelven a sacar las cartitas al menos cuatro veces si a la cuarta sale un comodín entonces le tocara lavar.
De última existe la salvada, un último intento donde la persona escogida saca una cartita y si adivina de quien es la persona adivinada entonces tendrá que lavar.
Abajo entre los chicos hay tres que están estudiando música. Por las mañanas me levanto al son de un saxo y por las tardes me acompaña el cantar de una guitarra. En la semana se da que practican coros en el templo en preparación para exámenes de dirección y coral y abajo del templo en el teatro “El Escudo” ensayan los estudiantes de teatro. El día se llena de música compuesta y música natural con el cantar de los pájaros y el tucu tucu pa´ del calentador de agua.
Al azar me encuentro con Anahi una de las chicas del hogar quien se ha dado la tarea de dar me por lo menos un abrazo diario ya que le había hecho mención de que me hacían falta los abrazos de mi mama. Y muy a menudo paso por la cocina a encontrarme con Eugenia inmersa en las lecturas de sus clases de psicología ella se ríe y canta una canción que dice Kris kris kristina
Ya se ha pegado y los demás han empezado a cantármela también.
La Casita:
A veinte minutos en micro o colectivo (guagua), llegamos al “ La Casita del niño Belén” en Ringuelet. Esta zona es más residencial y tranquila en contraste con el bullicio y vaivén de La Plata. La Casita en realidad es un comedor y centro de apoyo escolar en titulo pero en realidad viene siendo más que eso. Por la mañana vienen los jardineros (niños preescolares o elementales de 3 a 9 años) hay como doce de ellos que vienen a la casita por las mañanas. Si no nos sentamos a ver a los tres chanchos o a Tom y Jerry (Sherry), pintamos y aprendemos alguna manualidad. Si el día esta bueno podemos jugar afuera brincando cuica y saltando cuadritos. De lo contrario jugamos al huevo podrido que es una versión del juego “Duck, duck, goose.”
En la casita Monica mi supervisora siempre que llego me abraza y sus abrazos me acuerdan a los de mi madre. No sabe el bien que me hacen. Sin embargo la vida no es todos abrazos y sonrisas en la casita. Estos chicos vienen de hogares donde la violencia y las peleas es lo común. El otro día estábamos jugando un dos tres pescao uno de los niños mas pequeños Nicolás (años) quería ser el cantor pero su hermano Jerónimo (5 años) le tocaba, en menos de un segundo se había metido a la discusión el primo de ellos Kevin (4 o 5 años no me acuerdo) y este ya se estaba lanzando para caerle a puños a Nicolás. Salí corriendo separándolos lo mas posible uno en cada brazo.
En fin logre evitar que se dieran en ese momento pero 15 minutos después ya estaban peleando de nuevo. Este es el otro lado de la Casita. El lado difícil para mi, tanto así que a veces no quiero ir. Me pregunto ¡¿Que hago aquí soy la persona menos indicada para un trabajo como este!? Aun así dentro del caos y los juegos los gritos y los llantos cada tanto alguno de ellos hace bien y se ayudan, empiezan a jugar como es y se tratan con cariño. Y en ese tire y jala para saber hacia donde pueden llegar conmigo ya saben que no lograran que les haga un dibujito o que les ayude con su proyecto sin que primero me digan por favor.
Y con eso les dejo con un recuerdo. Las palabras de un amigo mío que se llama
Vance Blackfox Robbins: “Cuando en la vida algo nos apasiona y nos echamos de lleno por vivir esa pasión las cosas no siempre son agradables incluso a veces es necesario sacrificar nuestra comodidad logrando así una recompensa mayor…”
Bueno gente este es un pequeño vistazo dentro de la vida acá durante el mes de septiembre. En Octubre espero poder hablarles mas sobre personas especificas. Hay tanto que no se puede escribir ahora pero espero algún día cuando nos volvamos a ver espero poderlas contar.
__________________________________________________________
September 2007
Greetings dear friends in the Caribbean and other parts of the worlds ,)
September has come and gone and I can honestly say things have gone well. Upon entering this program I already knew my experience was going to be different than the other volunteers who had come before me because 1. I come from Puerto Rico giving me traditions and a culture similar to Latin America , and second I am a native Spanish speaker.
Even so I suspect that my experience is probably close to that of the volunteers in the U.K. It’s been a real adventure going from speaking Spanish to Castellano Argentina Style. Every Spanish speaking country has its own slang, sayings and we all know that when in a cross cultural experience, even though you might speak the same language even the food you try to order and find has disguised itself under a different name. It’s been at times if anything confusing and funny when I say for example I need my espejuelos (glasses) and they all look at me and say “What are espejuelos?” Then it becomes a game of finding synonyms or gestures and sometimes even drawings which in many cases leads to the discovery that the subject of the discussion has a completely different name or doesn’t exist in one place or the other.
Aside from all that things are going well. I live in a place called Hogar Universitario Luterano (The Lutheran Home for University Students). Six girls live on the topmost floor five guys on the lower level and my room is in the middle level along with the girls kitchen and dinning area and Pastor Andrea’s office. The home belongs to San Timoteo Lutheran Church where I am serving part of my year as a volunteer. In November they Hill celebrate their 50th anniversary as a congregation.
A few moments and memories taken from my box of collective memories.
Life at San Timoteo:
A 50th anniversary: Part of what I’ve been doing is helping create a timeline that tells the congregation’s history. Among pictures, memories, newspaper clippings, and storytelling I’ve been able to glimpse at what the life of this community has been.
Beyond anything I might have read there is what I have heard during weekly celebrations and visits to the pastor which has given me a taste of who they are today.
In my gathering of information I’ve also had the opportunity of reading the minutes from the meetings held by delegates of the different parts of the student home from 1960-1971. Each entry is written in pen by the leader of the meeting so it has felt like different voices from the past have spoken to me. In comparison the students who live here today share many of the same concerns. How do we share? How do we take care of this space in which we all live together?
These questions paint an image of what church is for me. It is in many ways a lot like a home where we live together; finding ways to take care of the space we live in each person doing his or her part. This does not mean that we will always agree and that we’ll get along 100% all the time not even in the best families that happens.
Relationships between people are hard regardless of how much love or lack there of we have for each other.
Along the way as we preparae in anticipation of the 50th anniversary celebration we also celebrate in other ways, by sharing stories during a workshop on self esteem and rejoice in that alter so many rain filled days the sun has decided to show its face. Hopefully it will start being warm soon.
I especially celebrate the fact that I am here and that this community has accepted me as a new part of its being. One Saturday while waiting for a community meeting to take place Zulma one of the women of the church commented on how quiet I am. She recalled on how the other volunteers were always talking, asking “How do you say this, How do you say that...” Because I speak Spanish she expected me to be more talkative. “It’s not a bad thing everybody is different.” She said in the end but all of you who know me well know that I love to sit and listen. Occasionally I’ll have my moment where I’ll add my part in a conversation. Afterward Zulma asked me about my family and the part of me that likes telling stories came out, and I told the story about who my family is. Later on Sunday that part of me had another opportunity to come out when I was able to read a poem that I had written while here. I hope that in my different way of being, the exchange in storytelling and poetry recitals we will be able to know each other…
Life at HUL (Hogar Universitario Luterano)
When I arrived at HUL all the students were studying for exams. I can honestly say I’ve never seen people study so hard! They sat focused and hidden behind mounds of reading, caught in a pattern of underling, summarizing and preparing project to be turned in.
In the evening at about 9, 10 people start eating dinner. Many times you’ll find someone making rounds to see what others are having for dinner. One by one people will add on to the idea of a certain menu until you have 2, 4, 9 signed up to eat what you had in mind. Some one goes out to buy the supplies necessary to feed the amount of people agreed upon and then the cost of food is divided and the person who did the shopping is reimbursed. After we are good and full and its time to put things away and clean up we play a game called cartitas. Everyone’s name goes into a bowl and the names are one by one pulled out. The last name to come out has to clean, however there are those who cooked and worked to make the meal if their name comes up then the drawing starts over for a maximum of 3 times. After a third time the person called last is it.
There is one last chance to not be it and that is by drawing from the bowl at the end and guessing the name you drew. If you guess right then that person takes your place as dish washer for the night.
Down stairs 3 of the guys are studying music. In the mornings I wake up to the sound of a saxophone and in the afternoons I am accompanied by the strumming of a guitar. During the week choirs from the university come to practice in the temple in preparation for their exams and down, down stairs under the temple in the theater “El Escudo” drama students rehearse their plays. The day is filled with music, composed and natural from the songs the birds sing to the tucu tucu pa´ of the water heater.
Randomly I meet up with Anahi one of the girls living upstairs who has taken on the task of living me atleaste one hug a day ever since I said that I missed my mom’s hugs.
More often than not I’ll walk into the kitchen look left and find Eugenia immersed in her reading materials for her numerous psychology classes. She’ll laugh and starting sing a song that says Kris Kris Kristina… It’s from some Spanish artist and it has stuck so that even the other’s here have started singing it when they see me too.
La Casita:
A 20 minute bus ride away we arrive at “ La Casita del niño Belén” in Ringuelet. This area is quieter and more residential than the hustle and bustle of La Plata . La Casita in truth is a after school support program and a cafeteria where the kids can eat in title but in actuality it is much more than that.
In the morning mostly little kids are there (3 to 9 years) and there are about twelve of them. If we don’t sit down to watch the three little pigs or Tom and Jerry, we’ll end up paining or learning how to make some sort of art’s and craft project. If the day is nice out we might play in the back yard, jumping rope or playing hop scotch. If the day is raining or cold like it has been lately then we’ll play a game called the rotten egg which is their version of “Duck, duck, goose.”
When I arrive at la casita Monica my supervisor also hugs me. Her hugs remind me of my mother’s hugs, I don’t think she’ll ever really know how much that helps. But life at la casita isn’t all fun and games. These kids come from homes where fighting and violence is norm. The other day we were playing a game of red light green light and one of the smaller kids Nicolas (3 years old) wanted to be the caller for the game but his older brother Jeronimo ( 5 years old) was it. In less than a second their cousin Kevin (4 or 5 years old I can’t remember) had joined in on the discussion and was already running in to hit Nicolas. I ran and grabbed each of them by the shirt pulling them apart at arms length turning circles so they couldn’t reach each other. After some convincing I was able to stop them from hitting each other for the moment 15 minutes later someone else was already starting a fight. That my friends is the other side of the story of la Casita , the hard side for me to be honest. To the extent that sometimes I don’t want to go back. I ask myself: What are you doing, you’re the least qualified person for something like this!?
Then amidst all the chaos and games, screams and tears every so often they’ll come together and really do something good. They’ll start playing like friends and treat each other with kindness; and in that push and shove to see what my limit will be with them they have learned that to get me to draw a picture for them to color they need only to say please…
This reminds me of something a friend of mine said and I’ll leave you with my memory of his words.
Vance Blackfox Robbins: “When we are passionate about something and we try to live out that passion in our lives, no where is it written that it will be easy or even pleasant. On top of that we might even be called to sacrifice our own comforts to achieve our dreams reaping an even greater reward…”
Well that was a peek into my first month here. In October I hope to be able to share more about the people who surround me. There is so much I don’t get to write here but I hope that some day when we see each other again there will be time to sit, and tell stories.
Saludos queridos amigos/as en el caribe y otras partes del mundo;)
Ya vino y se fue septiembre y les cuento que me ha ido bien. Entrando en este programa ya sabia que mi experiencia como iba ser diferente al de las que vinieron antes. Primero por venir de una cultura que no es necesariamente la de los estados unidos y segundo por que ya hablo español.
Aun así hay mucho que se pierde en la traducción y para mi ha sido toda una aventura el aprender castellano a lo Argentino. Todo país tiene su jerga y dichos, igual todos sabemos que si visitamos a otros países de habla hispana hasta la comida puede disfrazarse de otro nombre. Melocotones se han convertido en duraznos, la piña ahora se llama ananá, un bochinche es un alboroto y una chusma es una bochinchera. Y peor con la detección de malas palabras cuando trabajo con los niños chicos (pequeños) o los pibes (jóvenes).
Mas aya de las palabras todo me va bien. Vivo en el Hogar Universitario Luterano con seis chicas más en los altos y cinco chicos en el primer piso del hogar. Yo tengo mi habitación en el medio entre los dos, paralelo con el comedor de las chicas y la oficina de la pastora Báez. El hogar le pertenece a la Iglesia Luterana San Timoteo en donde estoy sirviendo como voluntaria. El mismo celebra su aniversario de 50 años ahora el día 3 de noviembre.
Algunos momentos y recuerdos sacados de mi cajita de memoria colectiva:
Vida en San Timoteo:
50 años de una congregación: Parte de mi trabajo ha sido ayudar en crear una línea cronológica de la historia de la congregación. Entre fotos recuerdos, recortes y recuentos poco a poco he podido mirar a través de la ventana que muestra lo que ha sido la vida de esta comunidad. Más aya de lo que pueda leer esta lo que escucho en las celebraciones semanales y las visitas a la pastora donde conozco quienes son estas personas hoy.
También en este recorrido he podido leer las actas de los delegados de las distintas casas que componían el Hogar Universitario Luterano en los años 60-71. Cada acta fue escrita en el puño y letra del que dirigió la reunión, por lo tanto mientras leo me siento como si personas distintas me estuviesen hablando. En comparación hasta el momento, universitarios viviendo en el Hogar en aquel entonces tienen muchas de las mismas preocupaciones que se tienen hoy en día. ¿Como compartimos? ¿Como cuidamos de este espacio en el cual todos convivimos?
Mirando todas estas cosas pinto la imagen de que la iglesia es en muchos casos como un hogar donde convivimos y tenemos que ponernos de acuerdo en como cuidar de ella cada uno poniendo de su parte. Y esto no significa que siempre van a ver acuerdos ni siquiera que nos vamos a llevar bien el 100% del tiempo pero en familia las situaciones son iguales. Las relaciones entre seres humanos por mas llenos de o falta de amor son difíciles.
Continuamos en preparación de la celebración del 50 aniversario, de camino celebramos mientras compartíamos historias durante un taller de autoestima y mas aun celebramos que después de tantos días de lluvia al fin a salido el sol. Ojala que pronto empiece el calor.
Y yo celebro que estoy aquí y me reconocen como parte nueva de la comunidad. Este sábado pasado mientras esperábamos por comenzar una reunión de comunidad una de las damas Zulma comento de lo callada que soy. Se acordaba de las otras voluntarias que se pasaban preguntando “Como se dice esto, como se dice lo otro…” Pensó que ya que hablo español estaría hablando mucho más. “No es malo sino diferente.” Dijo en fin pero el que me conoce sabe que me gusta sentarme a escuchar y tengo mis momentos de comentario o compartir. Después Zulma me pregunto sobre mi familia y salio la parte de mi que le gusta contar historias y pude compartir quienes son mi familia. Luego el domingo esa parte de mi tuvo otra oportunidad en donde les leí un poema que escribí estando aquí. Espero que en mi manera diferente y el intercambio de historias y poemas nos podamos conocer…
Vida en HUL (Hogar Universitario Luterano)
Cuando llegué al Hogar todos se encontraban estudiando para exámenes. ¡Les cuento que en mi transcurso académico nunca vi a un grupo de personas estudiar tanto!
Se perdían entre hojas para leer, resúmenes por redactar y proyectos por entregar.
Por las tardes como eso de las 9, 10 de la noche se reúnen para cenar. Muchas veces pasa alguien preguntando que va comer cada cual y se terminan juntando 2 o 4 o 9 para comer. Se sale a comprar los materiales y luego dividimos el costo. Cuando ya nos llenamos y es hora de guardar y lavar salen las cartitas. El juego de las cartitas consiste en que el nombre de todo el que comió se escribe en un papelito. Luego se van sacando el nombre que queda al final es la persona que lavara los platos. A menos que salga un comodín. Los comodines son aquellas personas que cocinaron y ayudaron en la preparación de la comida. Si sale un comodín se vuelven a sacar las cartitas al menos cuatro veces si a la cuarta sale un comodín entonces le tocara lavar.
De última existe la salvada, un último intento donde la persona escogida saca una cartita y si adivina de quien es la persona adivinada entonces tendrá que lavar.
Abajo entre los chicos hay tres que están estudiando música. Por las mañanas me levanto al son de un saxo y por las tardes me acompaña el cantar de una guitarra. En la semana se da que practican coros en el templo en preparación para exámenes de dirección y coral y abajo del templo en el teatro “El Escudo” ensayan los estudiantes de teatro. El día se llena de música compuesta y música natural con el cantar de los pájaros y el tucu tucu pa´ del calentador de agua.
Al azar me encuentro con Anahi una de las chicas del hogar quien se ha dado la tarea de dar me por lo menos un abrazo diario ya que le había hecho mención de que me hacían falta los abrazos de mi mama. Y muy a menudo paso por la cocina a encontrarme con Eugenia inmersa en las lecturas de sus clases de psicología ella se ríe y canta una canción que dice Kris kris kristina
Ya se ha pegado y los demás han empezado a cantármela también.
La Casita:
A veinte minutos en micro o colectivo (guagua), llegamos al “ La Casita del niño Belén” en Ringuelet. Esta zona es más residencial y tranquila en contraste con el bullicio y vaivén de La Plata. La Casita en realidad es un comedor y centro de apoyo escolar en titulo pero en realidad viene siendo más que eso. Por la mañana vienen los jardineros (niños preescolares o elementales de 3 a 9 años) hay como doce de ellos que vienen a la casita por las mañanas. Si no nos sentamos a ver a los tres chanchos o a Tom y Jerry (Sherry), pintamos y aprendemos alguna manualidad. Si el día esta bueno podemos jugar afuera brincando cuica y saltando cuadritos. De lo contrario jugamos al huevo podrido que es una versión del juego “Duck, duck, goose.”
En la casita Monica mi supervisora siempre que llego me abraza y sus abrazos me acuerdan a los de mi madre. No sabe el bien que me hacen. Sin embargo la vida no es todos abrazos y sonrisas en la casita. Estos chicos vienen de hogares donde la violencia y las peleas es lo común. El otro día estábamos jugando un dos tres pescao uno de los niños mas pequeños Nicolás (años) quería ser el cantor pero su hermano Jerónimo (5 años) le tocaba, en menos de un segundo se había metido a la discusión el primo de ellos Kevin (4 o 5 años no me acuerdo) y este ya se estaba lanzando para caerle a puños a Nicolás. Salí corriendo separándolos lo mas posible uno en cada brazo.
En fin logre evitar que se dieran en ese momento pero 15 minutos después ya estaban peleando de nuevo. Este es el otro lado de la Casita. El lado difícil para mi, tanto así que a veces no quiero ir. Me pregunto ¡¿Que hago aquí soy la persona menos indicada para un trabajo como este!? Aun así dentro del caos y los juegos los gritos y los llantos cada tanto alguno de ellos hace bien y se ayudan, empiezan a jugar como es y se tratan con cariño. Y en ese tire y jala para saber hacia donde pueden llegar conmigo ya saben que no lograran que les haga un dibujito o que les ayude con su proyecto sin que primero me digan por favor.
Y con eso les dejo con un recuerdo. Las palabras de un amigo mío que se llama
Vance Blackfox Robbins: “Cuando en la vida algo nos apasiona y nos echamos de lleno por vivir esa pasión las cosas no siempre son agradables incluso a veces es necesario sacrificar nuestra comodidad logrando así una recompensa mayor…”
Bueno gente este es un pequeño vistazo dentro de la vida acá durante el mes de septiembre. En Octubre espero poder hablarles mas sobre personas especificas. Hay tanto que no se puede escribir ahora pero espero algún día cuando nos volvamos a ver espero poderlas contar.
__________________________________________________________
September 2007
Greetings dear friends in the Caribbean and other parts of the worlds ,)
September has come and gone and I can honestly say things have gone well. Upon entering this program I already knew my experience was going to be different than the other volunteers who had come before me because 1. I come from Puerto Rico giving me traditions and a culture similar to Latin America , and second I am a native Spanish speaker.
Even so I suspect that my experience is probably close to that of the volunteers in the U.K. It’s been a real adventure going from speaking Spanish to Castellano Argentina Style. Every Spanish speaking country has its own slang, sayings and we all know that when in a cross cultural experience, even though you might speak the same language even the food you try to order and find has disguised itself under a different name. It’s been at times if anything confusing and funny when I say for example I need my espejuelos (glasses) and they all look at me and say “What are espejuelos?” Then it becomes a game of finding synonyms or gestures and sometimes even drawings which in many cases leads to the discovery that the subject of the discussion has a completely different name or doesn’t exist in one place or the other.
Aside from all that things are going well. I live in a place called Hogar Universitario Luterano (The Lutheran Home for University Students). Six girls live on the topmost floor five guys on the lower level and my room is in the middle level along with the girls kitchen and dinning area and Pastor Andrea’s office. The home belongs to San Timoteo Lutheran Church where I am serving part of my year as a volunteer. In November they Hill celebrate their 50th anniversary as a congregation.
A few moments and memories taken from my box of collective memories.
Life at San Timoteo:
A 50th anniversary: Part of what I’ve been doing is helping create a timeline that tells the congregation’s history. Among pictures, memories, newspaper clippings, and storytelling I’ve been able to glimpse at what the life of this community has been.
Beyond anything I might have read there is what I have heard during weekly celebrations and visits to the pastor which has given me a taste of who they are today.
In my gathering of information I’ve also had the opportunity of reading the minutes from the meetings held by delegates of the different parts of the student home from 1960-1971. Each entry is written in pen by the leader of the meeting so it has felt like different voices from the past have spoken to me. In comparison the students who live here today share many of the same concerns. How do we share? How do we take care of this space in which we all live together?
These questions paint an image of what church is for me. It is in many ways a lot like a home where we live together; finding ways to take care of the space we live in each person doing his or her part. This does not mean that we will always agree and that we’ll get along 100% all the time not even in the best families that happens.
Relationships between people are hard regardless of how much love or lack there of we have for each other.
Along the way as we preparae in anticipation of the 50th anniversary celebration we also celebrate in other ways, by sharing stories during a workshop on self esteem and rejoice in that alter so many rain filled days the sun has decided to show its face. Hopefully it will start being warm soon.
I especially celebrate the fact that I am here and that this community has accepted me as a new part of its being. One Saturday while waiting for a community meeting to take place Zulma one of the women of the church commented on how quiet I am. She recalled on how the other volunteers were always talking, asking “How do you say this, How do you say that...” Because I speak Spanish she expected me to be more talkative. “It’s not a bad thing everybody is different.” She said in the end but all of you who know me well know that I love to sit and listen. Occasionally I’ll have my moment where I’ll add my part in a conversation. Afterward Zulma asked me about my family and the part of me that likes telling stories came out, and I told the story about who my family is. Later on Sunday that part of me had another opportunity to come out when I was able to read a poem that I had written while here. I hope that in my different way of being, the exchange in storytelling and poetry recitals we will be able to know each other…
Life at HUL (Hogar Universitario Luterano)
When I arrived at HUL all the students were studying for exams. I can honestly say I’ve never seen people study so hard! They sat focused and hidden behind mounds of reading, caught in a pattern of underling, summarizing and preparing project to be turned in.
In the evening at about 9, 10 people start eating dinner. Many times you’ll find someone making rounds to see what others are having for dinner. One by one people will add on to the idea of a certain menu until you have 2, 4, 9 signed up to eat what you had in mind. Some one goes out to buy the supplies necessary to feed the amount of people agreed upon and then the cost of food is divided and the person who did the shopping is reimbursed. After we are good and full and its time to put things away and clean up we play a game called cartitas. Everyone’s name goes into a bowl and the names are one by one pulled out. The last name to come out has to clean, however there are those who cooked and worked to make the meal if their name comes up then the drawing starts over for a maximum of 3 times. After a third time the person called last is it.
There is one last chance to not be it and that is by drawing from the bowl at the end and guessing the name you drew. If you guess right then that person takes your place as dish washer for the night.
Down stairs 3 of the guys are studying music. In the mornings I wake up to the sound of a saxophone and in the afternoons I am accompanied by the strumming of a guitar. During the week choirs from the university come to practice in the temple in preparation for their exams and down, down stairs under the temple in the theater “El Escudo” drama students rehearse their plays. The day is filled with music, composed and natural from the songs the birds sing to the tucu tucu pa´ of the water heater.
Randomly I meet up with Anahi one of the girls living upstairs who has taken on the task of living me atleaste one hug a day ever since I said that I missed my mom’s hugs.
More often than not I’ll walk into the kitchen look left and find Eugenia immersed in her reading materials for her numerous psychology classes. She’ll laugh and starting sing a song that says Kris Kris Kristina… It’s from some Spanish artist and it has stuck so that even the other’s here have started singing it when they see me too.
La Casita:
A 20 minute bus ride away we arrive at “ La Casita del niño Belén” in Ringuelet. This area is quieter and more residential than the hustle and bustle of La Plata . La Casita in truth is a after school support program and a cafeteria where the kids can eat in title but in actuality it is much more than that.
In the morning mostly little kids are there (3 to 9 years) and there are about twelve of them. If we don’t sit down to watch the three little pigs or Tom and Jerry, we’ll end up paining or learning how to make some sort of art’s and craft project. If the day is nice out we might play in the back yard, jumping rope or playing hop scotch. If the day is raining or cold like it has been lately then we’ll play a game called the rotten egg which is their version of “Duck, duck, goose.”
When I arrive at la casita Monica my supervisor also hugs me. Her hugs remind me of my mother’s hugs, I don’t think she’ll ever really know how much that helps. But life at la casita isn’t all fun and games. These kids come from homes where fighting and violence is norm. The other day we were playing a game of red light green light and one of the smaller kids Nicolas (3 years old) wanted to be the caller for the game but his older brother Jeronimo ( 5 years old) was it. In less than a second their cousin Kevin (4 or 5 years old I can’t remember) had joined in on the discussion and was already running in to hit Nicolas. I ran and grabbed each of them by the shirt pulling them apart at arms length turning circles so they couldn’t reach each other. After some convincing I was able to stop them from hitting each other for the moment 15 minutes later someone else was already starting a fight. That my friends is the other side of the story of la Casita , the hard side for me to be honest. To the extent that sometimes I don’t want to go back. I ask myself: What are you doing, you’re the least qualified person for something like this!?
Then amidst all the chaos and games, screams and tears every so often they’ll come together and really do something good. They’ll start playing like friends and treat each other with kindness; and in that push and shove to see what my limit will be with them they have learned that to get me to draw a picture for them to color they need only to say please…
This reminds me of something a friend of mine said and I’ll leave you with my memory of his words.
Vance Blackfox Robbins: “When we are passionate about something and we try to live out that passion in our lives, no where is it written that it will be easy or even pleasant. On top of that we might even be called to sacrifice our own comforts to achieve our dreams reaping an even greater reward…”
Well that was a peek into my first month here. In October I hope to be able to share more about the people who surround me. There is so much I don’t get to write here but I hope that some day when we see each other again there will be time to sit, and tell stories.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
September Newsletter - Sarah L. in Kenya
September 2007 Newsletter
"Every Christian should preach, and if necessary, use words." –St.
Francis of Assisi
Kenyan Christians embody this notion. Their love for Christ is shown
constantly through gracious forms of hospitality and genuine love for
one another. Upon arriving in Kenya, a leader of the Presbyterian
Church of East Africa (PCEA) stated, "We are not just Kenyans. We are
your brothers and sisters." And they truly believe it. God is such a
large part of their identity. It is not uncommon for people to
introduce themselves followed with "and I am a child of God," or "and
I am saved." It is not so much what God does, but what God is to their
identity. They become Christians because they see life in it. The same
leader of the PCEA hoped that "Kenya's spiritual riches would scream
louder than their economic poverty." The presence of the Holy Spirit
cannot be ignored in this place.
I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this newsletter. I
realize that it is no longer September, but I wanted to send the most
complete update as possible. I have been in Kenya for a month and a
half already! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by. I spent
the first few weeks in orientation with the other four volunteers,
learning about the political, economic and religious climates in Kenya
as well as attempting to learn Swahili. "Attempting" is the key word,
here. In mid-September, I began my placement in Eastlands, Nairobi but
due to various circumstances, was moved to another placement at the
end of September.
I have finally settled into my placement in Gatundu, Kenya (one hour
private car ride to Nairobi or 2-4 hour bus ride). =) I have fallen in
love with this place! I am working and living at Icaciri Secondary
School, where I teach English (9th-10th grade) and Physical Education
(9th-11th). I know, you are probably laughing as you imagine me
teaching P.E. It's actually more like supervising recess. =) I do plan
on teaching the joys of flag football (American football) and
kickball. Can you imagine a life without kickball!? I haven't started
teaching English yet. I started teaching Christian Religious Education
(CRE), but due to a sudden loss of a staff member I was asked to
switch disciplines. I am excited because I will not have to prepare as
much for grammar class (I had to teach Marriage from the traditional
African perspective last week…you can imagine how much studying I had
to do before hand!)
We have 400 students (boys and girls) and 180 girls who board at the
school. There are four teachers (including me) who live on campus. The
school is such a positive environment and I am enjoying living with
the students. Gatundu is considered a small town or village. The town
is comprised of the Kikuyu people, who are known for "loving their own
language." This means that my Swahili is not all that helpful.
Although people know Swahili…they rarely speak it. Unfortunately, I
only know how to respond to "how are you" in Kikuyu. Hopefully I will
pick up more soon! Luckily, all classes are taught in English. =)
Gatundu is surrounded by hills and fields and fields of banana trees.
It's quite beautiful here! The air is clean and fresh which is a nice
change from the big city. The school is a one-hour walk down a dirt
road from "downtown" Gatundu. Apparently, this causes a problem during
rainy season when the road is nearly impassible. I will let you know
how this is when it starts raining. =) The town just received
electricity about a month before I came, which is a huge deal for the
community here. It does mean, however, that there is no Internet café
nearby, hence the tardiness of this newsletter. I had to come to
Nairobi to send this letter. =)
Just to give you a taste of how I live here:
*I boil about 3 pots of water in order to have a warm bath. The water
out of the faucets is always quite cold.
*My camping headlamp is always nearby. Because electricity is new
here…the electricity goes out quite often. I already know that I will
be leaving my headlamp behind because it has already been borrowed
quite often. How did they remove the bats from the attic before? =)
*Birds fly freely in the classrooms and I am the only one who seems to notice.
*It takes me hours to wash my laundry by hand. Even young children can
wash their clothes better than me.
*I killed a chicken and prepared it for dinner. I still can't believe
I did it. One of my prouder moments. =)
*I eat githeri, maize (hard corn) and beans, for nearly every lunch
meal with the students/staff.
*I drink tea with milk several times a day. Teatime is incorporated to
school and work schedules.
*I am the only white person in Gatundu and people usually just call me
"Mzungu" (see Swahili lesson at the bottom).
*I am now known as "Sarah Wanjiru." Kikuyus have difficulties with Ls
and Rs…therefore my last name has been scrapped. They have given me a
Kikuyu name instead, "Wanjiru" (pronounced wahn-jee-roh).
Kiswahili is the language most widely spoken in Kenya. I have decided
to include a Swahili language lesson in my monthly newsletter. Good
luck! =)
Pronunciation:
*a= ah, e= aye, i=ee, o=oh, u=oo
*Rs are flipped once…no hard American Rs! If you can't flip your Rs,
say "d" instead. It'll be close enough. =)
Standard Greeting and Response:
Greeting ->Habari? Response ->Mzuri.
Greeting to peers:
Greeting ->Sasa? Response -> Fit.
Karibu: Welcome (NOT pronounced like the popular coffee joint!)
Jina langu ni ____. : My name is ____.
Jina lako ni nani? : What is your name?
Mzungu: White person.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support thus far. I have had a
wonderful time and I am excited to get into a routine at Icicari and
finally learn my way around! Please pray for the people here as we are
nearing Presidential elections in December. May God's peace be with
you!
Sarah
"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but
accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Acts
10:34-35
"Every Christian should preach, and if necessary, use words." –St.
Francis of Assisi
Kenyan Christians embody this notion. Their love for Christ is shown
constantly through gracious forms of hospitality and genuine love for
one another. Upon arriving in Kenya, a leader of the Presbyterian
Church of East Africa (PCEA) stated, "We are not just Kenyans. We are
your brothers and sisters." And they truly believe it. God is such a
large part of their identity. It is not uncommon for people to
introduce themselves followed with "and I am a child of God," or "and
I am saved." It is not so much what God does, but what God is to their
identity. They become Christians because they see life in it. The same
leader of the PCEA hoped that "Kenya's spiritual riches would scream
louder than their economic poverty." The presence of the Holy Spirit
cannot be ignored in this place.
I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this newsletter. I
realize that it is no longer September, but I wanted to send the most
complete update as possible. I have been in Kenya for a month and a
half already! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone by. I spent
the first few weeks in orientation with the other four volunteers,
learning about the political, economic and religious climates in Kenya
as well as attempting to learn Swahili. "Attempting" is the key word,
here. In mid-September, I began my placement in Eastlands, Nairobi but
due to various circumstances, was moved to another placement at the
end of September.
I have finally settled into my placement in Gatundu, Kenya (one hour
private car ride to Nairobi or 2-4 hour bus ride). =) I have fallen in
love with this place! I am working and living at Icaciri Secondary
School, where I teach English (9th-10th grade) and Physical Education
(9th-11th). I know, you are probably laughing as you imagine me
teaching P.E. It's actually more like supervising recess. =) I do plan
on teaching the joys of flag football (American football) and
kickball. Can you imagine a life without kickball!? I haven't started
teaching English yet. I started teaching Christian Religious Education
(CRE), but due to a sudden loss of a staff member I was asked to
switch disciplines. I am excited because I will not have to prepare as
much for grammar class (I had to teach Marriage from the traditional
African perspective last week…you can imagine how much studying I had
to do before hand!)
We have 400 students (boys and girls) and 180 girls who board at the
school. There are four teachers (including me) who live on campus. The
school is such a positive environment and I am enjoying living with
the students. Gatundu is considered a small town or village. The town
is comprised of the Kikuyu people, who are known for "loving their own
language." This means that my Swahili is not all that helpful.
Although people know Swahili…they rarely speak it. Unfortunately, I
only know how to respond to "how are you" in Kikuyu. Hopefully I will
pick up more soon! Luckily, all classes are taught in English. =)
Gatundu is surrounded by hills and fields and fields of banana trees.
It's quite beautiful here! The air is clean and fresh which is a nice
change from the big city. The school is a one-hour walk down a dirt
road from "downtown" Gatundu. Apparently, this causes a problem during
rainy season when the road is nearly impassible. I will let you know
how this is when it starts raining. =) The town just received
electricity about a month before I came, which is a huge deal for the
community here. It does mean, however, that there is no Internet café
nearby, hence the tardiness of this newsletter. I had to come to
Nairobi to send this letter. =)
Just to give you a taste of how I live here:
*I boil about 3 pots of water in order to have a warm bath. The water
out of the faucets is always quite cold.
*My camping headlamp is always nearby. Because electricity is new
here…the electricity goes out quite often. I already know that I will
be leaving my headlamp behind because it has already been borrowed
quite often. How did they remove the bats from the attic before? =)
*Birds fly freely in the classrooms and I am the only one who seems to notice.
*It takes me hours to wash my laundry by hand. Even young children can
wash their clothes better than me.
*I killed a chicken and prepared it for dinner. I still can't believe
I did it. One of my prouder moments. =)
*I eat githeri, maize (hard corn) and beans, for nearly every lunch
meal with the students/staff.
*I drink tea with milk several times a day. Teatime is incorporated to
school and work schedules.
*I am the only white person in Gatundu and people usually just call me
"Mzungu" (see Swahili lesson at the bottom).
*I am now known as "Sarah Wanjiru." Kikuyus have difficulties with Ls
and Rs…therefore my last name has been scrapped. They have given me a
Kikuyu name instead, "Wanjiru" (pronounced wahn-jee-roh).
Kiswahili is the language most widely spoken in Kenya. I have decided
to include a Swahili language lesson in my monthly newsletter. Good
luck! =)
Pronunciation:
*a= ah, e= aye, i=ee, o=oh, u=oo
*Rs are flipped once…no hard American Rs! If you can't flip your Rs,
say "d" instead. It'll be close enough. =)
Standard Greeting and Response:
Greeting ->Habari? Response ->Mzuri.
Greeting to peers:
Greeting ->Sasa? Response -> Fit.
Karibu: Welcome (NOT pronounced like the popular coffee joint!)
Jina langu ni ____. : My name is ____.
Jina lako ni nani? : What is your name?
Mzungu: White person.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support thus far. I have had a
wonderful time and I am excited to get into a routine at Icicari and
finally learn my way around! Please pray for the people here as we are
nearing Presidential elections in December. May God's peace be with
you!
Sarah
"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but
accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." Acts
10:34-35
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