Lucky Lady

Love these boys!

Giving Thanks

On the day after the USA holiday Thanksgiving, Chris and I have set a goal:  we're going to be mindful of the things we are thankful for and begin recording them in our own personal journals.  This is no new idea; we have been reminded of the importance of being thankful by dozens of people, including historians, authors, prophets, and wise friends.

I have no plans to make public any of the items on my list - not because they are scandalous, but because I believe in the importance of keeping this as an intimate act of worship between my Creator and me.

However, I thought you'd like to see my Thankfulness Journal.  You can guess what one of the first entries is.

"I love you Mommy"

by Johnny

Church Retreat 2011

We had a great time with our church,

Jesucristo Rey, 

a couple of weekends ago at the annual retreat.

I was reminded me Santa Barbara Community Church's retreats except for the following:

• Waiters served us our delicious food (appetizer, entree, dessert)
• The schedule was a bit different (see my notes in red below)
• Everything was in Spanish
• Young folks from another church came to do the childcare
• I came home with a scalded mouth due to all my mate drinking

Gorgeous hike in the rain - Andrew was in heaven!

 "Guiller-moto"

 Games with a purpose, organized by our amazing friend Pato (Patricia)

 Great conversations, mate, and food

And, finally, surfing the river.  David shredded and taught everyone how to do it. 

They LOVED it and now have a new tan to prove it.

We are incredibly thankful for this body of believers and the way God provides.

Santa Teresita Again

These 2 men are very like minded and as I've said before, Guille and Susi are huge blessings in our life.  We had our first encuentro (meeting) with the neighbors in Santa Teresita to go over the results of the survey and to further equip them in helping themselves in the problems that the survey revealed.

It was necessary to get the galpón (abandoned workshed) ready for the meeting.  We were so thrilled to find this place with a roof and walls.  Even though Santa Teresita is a rural neighborhood, there aren't big trees that offer shade against the strong sun or heavy rain.  The galpón had a bit of trash that was easily removed and weeds that were macheted away by the muscles of our almost-12-year-old.

The trash-picker-uppers

Getting ready to begin the meeting... we had facturas (I'm not sure how to describe this typical Argentine food - maybe a danish?) and of course mate.

Here is an acto in action.  Chris was "playing the part" of the extranjero (foreigner) who came along with the desire to help those in need.  David and Guille were the locals who desperately needed to cross a river but didn't know how to swim or where the rocks were placed within the river.  The foreigner knows all about rocks in rivers and how to swim so he generously offers to carry David across.  But by the time he gets halfway across, he is too tired and can't go any further.  He deposits David on a rock structure in the middle of the river without giving him any instructions on how to get to either side.  He reaches the bank where Guille is waiting and informs him that there is no way he can carry him and offers instead to teach him how to cross, which is what you see in action above.

They arrive at the midpoint and the tired, well-meaning foreigner can't go on.  But, since Guille now knows how to cross on his own, he is able to teach David and they cross together to the otherside.

Here they are, after victoriously crossing the river on their own, able to show other locals the way as well.

It's a little silly, but it got good reviews from the neighbors who liked what it represented: they are smart, they need some tools and instructions on how to accomplish the things they want for the barrio, and we can work together for its good. 

Going over the results of the survey

This was a great exercise in talking about Salud Integral (Integral Health) and what the neighbors thought was needed for a healthy community.  Many important themes were brought up and discussed at length.

Chris and Guille will continue visiting with the neighbors a couple times a week and Susi, the boys, and I hope to attend the meetings on the weekends.  It will be interesting to see what God has in store for this barrio que no es olvidado ya.

PS I'm such a geek numbers person and very much enjoy the fact that today is 11-11-11 and this post was published at 11:11.  :)

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.

Fútbol in Buenos Aires

About a month ago, David's soccer team, Boca-Córdoba, travelled to Buenos Aires to compete and to watch a professional game together. Chris went with him.

It was a 3 night trip: 2 on a bus and 1 in a hotel.

As you can see in the photos below, they had a lot of fun adventures together. 

(What you may not be able to see is that they also dealt with their fair (or not-so-fair) share of culture, um, differences.)

 

David with teammates outside the real Boca stadium, La Bombonera

Inside La Bombonera

Getting ready to compete

Coach and player

David plays position #5 or center midfield

In the Boca museum... surrounded by trophies, his dream...

Outside the Velez Sarsfield field, in time to watch the pro players

Love those 2!

Andrew and his Hippo Friends

This is a bit random, but did you know that Andrew's favorite animal is the hippopotamus? 

He has a blanket with a hippo head that we refer to as "binks"... but when he was a baby we called it the "magic blanket" because if Andrew was upset all we needed to do was give him the blanket and he'd stop any and all fussing. 

He also has a stuffed animal hippo named "Tubby Wubby." 

However, the other day he and Johnny were playing super heroes with their animal friends and Andrew decided to name Binks "Super Flatso" and Tubby Wubby "Super Fatso".

Get it?

Andrew feeding Tubby Wubby aka Super Fatso outside his homemade house.

And did you know that our Córdoba Zoo has its very own hippo clan? 

It was the first time we had seen real ones up close. 

They are just as big and round as you imagine them to be.

Andrew was in hippo heaven.