Week 42: A Poem to Ponder

“Keeping Quiet” by Pablo Neruda

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the earth,
let's not speak in any language;
let's stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines;
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fisherman in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victories with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I'll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

—from Extravagaria (translated by Alastair Reid, pp. 27-29, 1974)

Week 41: May Newsletter: Teachings From a Simple Pair of Shoes

I recently found out that a 14-year-old boy, Johnny, from our congregation left his home because his stepfather had been abusing him severely. Now he is living with Alejandra the woman who brings the children to our after church program almost every Sunday. I see God at work in Alejandra. She helps everyone around her without question. She gives even when she has nothing to give. Johnny is not the only young person living with her and her already large family due to problems at home. Alejandra, who hardly has enough to get by, welcomes others with open arms into her home.

It turns out that Johnny did not have shoes to wear to school so Alejandra’s son gave Johnny his own shoes to wear leaving himself without shoes. Our pastor’s wife heard about this and wanted to do something to help. We want to make sure the children have everything they need to go to school! She told Alejandra to bring Johnny and Ivan to church and they would go together to buy new shoes for school. Johnny, Ivan, Anai, and Martin ended up coming to church all needing new shoes.

Our pastor’s wife, Chabela, took them to an outlet shoe store and told them that they could each pick out whatever pair of new shoes they wanted. When the kids heard this they were so surprised! They have never really had the opportunity to pick out their own shoes. They all had such a wonderful time trying on new shoes, modeling pairs to each other, and narrowing down until they found that perfect pair.

Chabela shared with me that the kids felt such joy and happiness that day picking out a simple pair of tennis shoes. They were so grateful and proud to be able to wear their new pair of tennis shoes out of the store. Their old shoes were so bad they needed to be trashed. This past Sunday I got to see the new shoes in action and they looked great.

What a great gift to share with these youth. Not only did they get something that they really needed but for an afternoon they got to experience some happiness in their difficult living situations. That is something that we try to do at our after church program. We want to kids to understand that they are important and that they deserve to be happy.

This story reflects what I have been seeing, feeling, and learning this year. I have learned to appreciate joys such as buying shoes. Everyday things that I used to take for granted I now am thankful for like loving parents, an education, a warm shower, a working toilet, a heater, a bed, shoes, and food.

I also see now that problems or situations I used to worry and fret about before are now meaningless. I have learned that there are more important problems and situations happening in this world and that I need to do what I can to help solve them instead of worrying only about my own personal life.

That doesn’t mean that I have to go to a foreign country in order to help either. There are people within our own communities that need just as much help as the people here. I realize that I was putting so much time and effort into worrying about my own life that I became blind to the people around me that needed help. There are so many little things I could have been doing in my own community to help others like donating old clothes and coats, helping at food shelters, or even just taking time to listen to someone living in a difficult situation whether that is poverty or loneliness.

The people here have shown me a picture of what God calls us to do. He calls us to LOVE everyone unconditionally and to ACCEPT others without question like Alejandra. He calls us to GIVE freely of our TIME and to SHARE what God has given to us with those less fortunate like Chabela. He calls us to LEARN to take PLEASURE in simple joys like the kids shopping for shoes.

This month’s scripture quotes for thought: 

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:13-15 

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:16-20

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up you mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. Romans 14:13

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

This month’s quotes for thought:

Love cannot remain by itself- it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action, and that action is service. Whatever form we are—able or disabled, rich or poor- it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. A lifelong sharing of love with others. Mother Teresa

Be the change you want to see in the world. Gandhi

All journeys of soul lead us to the smallest moment of the most ordinary day. Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.  Francis of Assisi


Some pictures of the people from the story:

(L to R) Lucas, Franco, Me, and Ivan

Alejandra with two cute angels at the Christmas pageant

Martin (L) and Johnny (R) playing soccer (the two talk boys)

Anahi and Martin

Chabela holding up the words to our lunch time prayer

Week 40: Green Spaces in the City

Katie and Emily at the entrance of the Botanical Gardens

This Monday on my day off I headed into the center of Buenos Aires with Katie and Emily to visit the Botanical Garden and the Japanese Garden in the fancy and wealthy neighborhood of Palermo.  It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed the sunshine and the changing colors of the leaves.  Palermo has lots of green spaces and parks for the people of Buenos Aires to enjoy. 

Greenhouse in the Botanical Garden

This is one of the many cats we saw in the Botanical Garden sun bathing

The Botanical Garden had many sculptures like this one

LOTS of pretty trees!

Dog walkers, like this one, are very common in the wealthier parts of the city

After spending some time in the Botanical Garden we headed over to the Japanese Garden and enjoyed lunch at the Japanese sushi restaurant that overlooked the garden.  After eating we headed outside to the well-kept garden. 

Japanese Garden

Pretty red bridge

Us on the pretty red bridge

After the Japanese garden we headed towards the train stop that we planned to take back to my apartment.  The train stop is located by the largest Mosque in Latin America.  Every time I pass the mosque on the train I enjoy looking at it.  I finally got to go near enough to take some pictures.  

The mosque occupies an eight-acre triangle between the Jumbo superstore and the Le Parc tower where soccer star Diego Maradona and other assorted celebrities keep apartments.  This giant mosque can house up to 2,000 people in the main prayer hall.  It is a sight to see just due to its sheer size!

Week 39: Friends of a Friend Visit

Famous Buenos Aires obelisk located downtown

Last week a friend (Katie) of one of my best friends (Jessie) took a 3 day bus trip from Peru to Buenos Aires to spend sometime in Argentina after the end of her volunteering position in Peru.  One of their other friends (Bill) flu to the Argentina from the US to spend a week with Katie.  I was lucky enough to get to meet them both for the first time and to spend a few of my days off with them. 

Ceiling frescoes in the ritzy shopping center known as Galerías Pacíficos

Galerías Pacíficos

We ate a wonderful (but pricey) lunch in the Galerías Pacíficos.  I had quesadillas with guacamole which is something very uncommon to eat in Argentina.

In front of their hotel

Overall we had a great time hanging out in the centro of Buenos Aires.  I got to do some of the touristy things that I usually do not get a chance to do.  I also saw the tourist side of Buenos Aires.  It is interesting because I am not really a tourist here but I am also not a native putting me in this random limbo land.  I have seen some of the harsh realities and the beautiful gems of Argentina that are generally hidden from the basic tourist.  I feel lucky to have been able to go deeper than tourist life here.  I have come to understand a great deal more about Argentina, its people, and culture. 

Week 39: My Favorite Argentine Walk

Most days after work I like to take a walk to a nearby plaza where I run or walk.  Part of the fun is the walk to the plaza.  I cross into another neighborhood that is one of the riches around meaning that there are many beautiful homes and gardens.  There is a grocery store near the plaza as well where I like to shop because it usually has a better selection than the grocery stores nearby. 

The plaza is about 10 blocks away from the church where I live.  I enjoy taking these walks because there are may different types of houses and it is one of the greener areas around with lots of pretty trees along the road plus landscaping and gardens in the yards of most of the houses.  

This is the view from my apartment window (I live on the second floor).  There is a patio that belongs to the church and where most of the children's program activities take place.  When the weather is nice we bring tables and chair outside and enjoy our after church lunch there.

This cute little girl is also one of the main sights I see when heading out for a walk.  She is my neighbor and plays outside on the second floor balcony with all of her toys.  Eire likes to show me her toys and tell me the names of her pet cats.  She also like to escort me to my apartment door.  She is the granddaughter of one of my supervisors at church (Cristina) so she sometimes helps us in the kitchen when we are making the pizza for Sunday lunch.  She is such a precious little girl and it is fun to be her neighbor.  

This is the Ballester bridge that crosses the train tracks and leads to the one way street which I live on.  It is located about a block from the church and I cross it almost everyday coming back from work at MAMA.  It is a very busy bridge and when I go on my walks I sometimes have to wait almost 5 minutes before I can cross here.  

Now I am entering into the nice neighborhood.  Trees start to line the sidewalk and the homes are bigger.  I always walk by this glass shop and enjoy looking in the window at the many frames, mirrors, and windows.  

This is a physical rehabilitation center in the neighborhood and I always take pleasure in the style of the pretty blue building.  

It is now fall meaning that I get to savor the golden fall afternoons with colored and decomposing leaves.  This stretch of sidewalk passes by two fancy churches.  

This is a Baptist church that I find charming and it has a nice soccer field in back for the kids to enjoy.  

This is one of many houses along my usual walk that I enjoy looking at.  It is one of the largest in the area with four floors and a cool turning staircase to enter into the front door.  I walk by all of these amazing houses and wonder what they look like inside, who lives there, and how much they are worth.  This area is such a night and day difference from the area of the MAMA comedor where most people are living in small structures that they built with their own two hands out of things they could find laying around.  It is crazy to be able to see such wealth disparities within less than 20 minutes of each other. 

More houses

A local gym that I pass by which is always hopping with people

Pretty trees

Cool old fashioned mailbox

Tiny red car

Lot for sale

Secondary School

So finally we have made it to the plaza.  The plaza, as you can see above, is called plaza mitre and it is one of the only semi-green spaces around.  It is a pretty dirty park due to the fact that so many people spend time here.  Lots of people come to meet with friends, drink mate, exercise, and let their kids play at the small play ground or marry-go-round.  

Plaza Mitre

This is the main fire station located across from the plaza.  I often hear their whistles going off from my apartment.

This neighborhood has a lot of people from German decent living in it.  This sign means that the resident breeds German shepherds which must be a popular dog in the area.  I sometimes see the gentleman that lives there leaving with a cute German shepherd dog. 

This is the border of the plaza where I usually run or walk

In the center of the plaza there are benches and a small basketball court

The grocery store I frequent.  My boss' wife from MAMA is actually a store manager here so sometime I run into her here.

And the South American plaza just won't be complete without a monument dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

So I hope you all can get a little feel for one of the nearby neighborhoods that I like to walk through.  It is always a nice quite time after a sometimes long day of playing with screaming kids.  This walk helps me unwind from the day and deal with the harsh realities of this world that I see day to day at the MAMA comedor.