Las Violetas

One of the neighborhoods, or barrios, that we are working in is called Las Violetas.  To translate that to English, The Violets, gives an inaccurate description of what we witness inside.  It is not all "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue..."  Rather it is full of spiritual and material poverty which, unfortunately, often lead to violence, drug-use, and unemployment.  When we have mentioned to our Argentine friends that we are working in this barrio, we always get raised eyebrows and the ojo warning.  The people living in Las Violetas are consantly being prejudiced against simply because they live in this notorious zona roja.  We feel thankful that we are able to be with the people almost each day in one form or another.

Inside, there is a community center, El Refugio, run by Argentine Christian missionaries, and we have partnered with these locals to provide additional workshops, job training, and tutoring sessions as many (young and old) have dropped out of school due to getting pregnant, taking drugs, behavioral problems, and/or the necessity to try to find work.  We are trying to explain to them the importance of education and helping them enroll in a local night-school.  Taking an entrance exam places you in the appropriate grade (7th - 12th) and, obviously, it's best to get tested into the highest grade possible.

Every Thursday morning all 5 of us go to El Refugio and do a cooking taller with adolescent girls.  It's generally the highlight of my week because the girls are precious.  We cook, share some verses that apply to their lives, eat, and then play soccer in the street.  Last week we brought our blender and made fruit smoothies and then created pulseras or bracelets together.  They really like the boys and the feeling is mutual.

You have to chuckle at this last photo.  They are fighting about whether or not it was a goal. 

As Bill Shankly, the great Scottish soccer player and manager says:

"Football isn't a game of life or death, it is much more important than that."

This rings true even in friendly, neighborhood, street games.