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