October in Misiones

Campamento de Jovenes –
In the second weekend of October, I joined the Confirmation Class and youth from Olas Petri, the IELU´s church of Oberá, on a camping trip in Panambí. We left Oberá on Saturday afternoon, with a clear sky. After a two hour ride on the public bus, we arrived to Panambí, a small town of Misiones, and walked to our campsite. After pitching our tents, we took a walk down to the Uruguay River, which separates Argentina from Brazil. Some of us sat along the river and drank tereré, and others played some soccer on the municipality´s soccer field. I think I may love tereré even more than mate, if that´s possible. Tereré is the summer version of mate, and it is of Paraguan origin. The Yerba mate is poured into a cup, instead of a mate. Then, instead of hot water, you drink the mate through the bombilla with juice of your choice. I think my favorite may be lemon-lime. It is a wonderful way to pass the time, passing the tereré, while chatting. However, do not be fooled, plenty of mate was had that weekend as well. (And in the pastor´s giant mate!) In the evening, we had guiso, or stew, played games, sang songs and fellowshipped some more.
On Sunday, Clovis Kurtz, one of the co-pastors of Olas Petri, led a workshop on justice with the youth. They seemed to be very moved by his group dynamic. We continued with songs. The rest of the afternoon was followed with more time to drink tereré and mate, play games or rest. In the evening, the rain started to come down hard. But that did not stop us from playing our planned game for the evening in the rain. My group won the game! That evening I decided to try to sleep in my tent. After sleeping in my tent for several hours, I woke up to a wet feeling. I moved my sleeping bag to the bathroom, where several other girls were also sleeping. I must say that it was an interesting experience sleeping there. And a whole lot drier!
We finished up Monday morning with some songs, games and taking down our tents. We had some choripan (grilled sausage in bread – my favorite Argentine dish!) for lunch, and caught our bus back to Oberá. It was a great experience being with the youth for weekend. They welcomed me with open arms, and always included me, as if I had always been a member of the group. I look forward to camping with them again in January.

San Martín´s congregation ¨Dios Es Amor¨ –
I have continued to get involved in the life of the church in San Martín. I have joined Mariela Pereyra, the pastor, making visits with her, in organizing different church events, and accompanying her with her First Communion Classes. I have enjoyed getting to know some of the families on a more intimate level, and look forward to deepen my relationships with the members in the remainder of my time here.
Perhaps the highlight of my time with ¨Dios Es Amor¨ (the IELU church in San Martín) was this past Saturday, when I helped with the children’s bible school. It was the first time that I took the bus, and spent time in San Martin without the pastor. My friend Michela had asked to join me, and I will admit that it was nice to have an Argentine friend accompanying me on the journey. When Michela and I arrived, the children greeted us and Norma, the woman leading the school, asked me to open with prayer. This was the first time for me to pray on the spot in Spanish! We spent the hour and a half with the children making picture frames for their moms for Mother´s Day (which occurs on the third Sunday of October, because it is spring for them now, not in May). And I taught them the song, ¨The more we get together¨ in Spanish and English. Then two of the teenage girls who were helping, Diana and Andrea, walked Michela and I back to the bus stop. We waited for over an hour for a bus to stop for us. The buses were so full from people traveling to visit their family for Mother´s Day that they were not stopping to pick us up! Finally, we had enough luck that one stopped for us..

Friends in Oberá –
Over the last month, I have made some wonderful friends in Oberá. I have met a girl, Lauren, who is from Nebraska, who has spent here last eight months in Oberá, teaching English through a Fulbright Scholarship. She and I have spent many afternoons and evenings together cooking or drinking mate. She has introduced me to some really nice Argentines close to my age that are studying English at the school where Lauren teaches in Oberá. This past week was the first time that I had some friends over to my house for lunch. I cooked pasta for my friends Naty, Michela and Lauren. Now my apartment feels like home, because I have shared my table with others. I have enjoyed the several evenings that I have spent with them going for walks to the Parque de las Naciones with mate or tereré.

La Feria de las Semillas - Oberá

On September 25th, I attended the Seeds Fair of Oberá, Misiones. The purpose of the seeds fairs is to create an open forum for local farmers of small farms (chacras) to exchange knowledge and seeds. The fair is part of the Seed Movement - a movement created by farmers, agricultural technicians, and organizers in the province of Misiones, that is working towards sustainable alternatives to the dominant forces of the transgenetic and hybrid seeds of the major companies in the U.S.
In the morning, several farmers and technicians gave talks on issues of water conservation, deforestation, and the problems that pine trees create in the province. In the afternoon, the farmers exchanged seeds and plants with one another to create or maintain the biodiversity of their small farms. My supervisor, Malena Parras, and I shared a biblical reflection with the group, as church organizers that are supporting and accompanying farmers in the Seed Movement. Here is our reflection in Spanish and English:


Buenos días, compañeros y compañeras. Queremos compartir una breve reflexión. Cada uno ve un tema desde su punto de vista. Nuestra ventana es la palabra de Dios. Venimos de la IELU. Queremos compartir la lectura de Marcos 4:30-32.

También decía: ¿A qué compararemos el reino de Dios, o con qué parábola lo describiremos? Es como un grano de mostaza, el cual, cuando se siembra en la tierra, aunque es más pequeño que todas las semillas que hay en la tierra, sin embargo, cuando es sembrado, crece y llega a ser más grande que todas las hortalizas y echa grandes ramas, tanto que LAS AVES DEL CIELO pueden ANIDAR BAJO SU SOMBRA.

¿Que piensan ustedes que puede ser en sus chacras la semilla mas pequeña que crecer tan grande hasta que los pájaros del cielo se cobijan a su sombra?

Cuando estábamos reflexionando nosotros sobre de esta lectura, identificábamos que los pequeños productores son como estas semillas y pueden ser las semillas de la esperanza. Vemos que las chacras pueden ser un modelo de la mayor justicia, equidad y respeto de la creación de Dios. Como la semilla de mostaza es lo mas pequeña, pero crece mucho, queremos que las chacras crecen en la justicia y la esperanza para los que miran desde afuera. Ustedes, pequeñas productores, no solamente siembran semillas, pero también, siembran su vida, cultura, economía e historia. El Reino de Dios, nosotros vemos las chacras que mas diversificadas con mas respeto a la creación, a las personan que convivan y a las que están alrededor. EN cambios, hay otros modelos que están en contra, por el uso de los agro tóxicos, porque no respetan el suelo, representan un esclavitud para el trabajador, porque no recibe su precio justo para su producto.

Así, al principio dijimos que esto e nuestro punto de vista, hay muchos otros puntos de vistas. Por eso decimos, que sólo entre todos sabemos todo. Y tenemos que compartir nuestras ideas y aprender entre todos.

¡Esperamos que podamos ser semillas de la esperanza hoy y para siempre! En el nombre de Cristo, Amen.





Good morning companions. We would like to share a short reflection. Everyone sees a theme from their point of view. Our window is the word of God. We come from the United Evangelical Lutheran Church (Argentina & Uruguay). We would like to share the passage from Mark 4:30-32.

He also said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’

What do you think could be the smallest seed in your small farms that could grow so that the birds of the air can make nest in the shade?

When we reflected on this passage, we identified that the small farmers are like these small seeds and that you can be the seeds of hope. We see that the small farms can be a model of the best justice, equality and respect of the creation of God. Just as the mustard seed is the smallest, but grows much, we want the small farms to grow in justice and hope for those that are looking from outside. You all, small producers, not only sow the seeds, but you also sow your life, your culture, your economy and your history. We see that the Reign of God is the small farms that are more diverse, that have more respect for creation, for the people who live in the farms and for those who live around the farms. However, there are other models that are against creation, those that use toxic agricultural chemicals, those that do not respect the soil, and those that represent slavery for the worker, because they do not receive a fair price for their product.

In the beginning, we said that this is our point of view, and there are many points of view. We say this because only between all of us can we know everything. And we have to share our ideas and learn from each other.

We hope that you can be seeds of hope for today and forever! In the name of Christ, Amen.



¡SEMILLAS EN MANOS DE LOS PRODUCTORES!

SEEDS IN THE HANDS OF THE FARMERS!