It's warm, the air is heavy with humidity and yet the steady breeze rushes off the ocean and rustles through the leaves, dodges around buildings, buses and cars to somehow finds its way to gently press against my face, the coolness passes giving just a moment of relief. My skin is sticky from perspiration, especially noted as I lean over to greet friends with a kiss on the cheek. The kiss lingers longer than usual for when we meet our skin melds together and we must peel it apart before moving on to the next sticky candidate. The basement of the church smells like jasmine, everything smells like jasmine. People are slowly arriving for the Christmas eve service, on the 23rd of December. It begins at 7:30, it's 7:40 and we are still gathering. The familiar tune of angels we have heard on high is being played in the background. Alvaro, Wilma's husband looks around and greets people while his fingers continue to float across the keys of the piano, producing gentle melodies of the Christmas hymns I know and love. The music that lingers in the air surrounding the wooden nativity scene placed at the front of the church is a stark contrast with everything around me telling me it is summer time. This contradiction between my idea of what Christmas should feel like, and what it is actually like today, right now, is not easy to adjust to. But for now it actually helps me to focus my thoughts on the small child in the center of the manger. It doesn't matter if it is 100 degrees outside or 32 degrees and snowing. The Christ child came. And in that coming, the whole world is given the gift of life, the gift of hope, the gift of peace. So whether you are all bundled up and watching the still white snowflakes silently cover your world or if you find yourself sitting on a beach somewhere soaking up the rays of the blazing summer sun, may you take a moment, wherever you are, to remember the true meaning of Christmas. May you share and celebrate with those you love the gift of life and all of the blessings in you have this holiday season.
Peace, Love and Holiday Blessings to all of my friends and family!

Navidad!

Today was the christmas program and church service for the Valdesian Church. Lots of people gathered in the basement of the church to sing christmas songs and hear the christmas story told by the kids as they sang and gave a living representation of the nativity scene. It was fun to see and experience the Christmas story in a different language and in a different season. Before tonight, I haven´t really felt like it is December, let alone Christmas time! But when the congregation busted out into angels we have heard on high (in spanish of course) and the little kids came out dressed like angels with wings, halos and all, then I felt a little more in the Christmas spirit.
The choir also sang a few songs that we have been working on, including silent night, which I, together with the other volunteer Beth, had the opportunity to sing a verse in english. Maike, the volunteer from Germany also sang a verse in german. It was only slightly terrifying to sing an almost solo at the biggest or most attended church service of the year! But it was fun and the people were really excited about it afterwards.
Now I´m back at the hogar just trying to send out a little update and check my email but one of the kids is talking my ear off, so it looks like I am going to have to leave this where it is for now.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad!

December Already..

I just got back to Montevideo after spending the thanksgiving holiday with the other volunteers and our program coordinator at Centro Emmanuel, an eccumenical center and organic farm in a little pueblo called Colonia Valdense. It was a nice escape from our busy routines and the constant motion of city life, both in Montevideo and Buenos Aires. It was really a wonderful time to reunite with all of the volunteers and share with one another our stories, thoughts and experiences of our individual journeys thus far. We sang songs together, played games and focused in our devotions and bible studies on the ideas of abundance and scarcity, which was quite fitting with the general theme of Thanksgiving itself. We shared a meal of chicken (they don´t have turkeys readily available here in Uruguay), green bean casserole, stuffing, jello salad, homemade bread, and a peach crisp. We all helped with the cooking process and made a delicious thanksgiving dinner Uruguyan style. I am thankful for the community we have together as volunteers and I am thankful for our families and friends back home who celebrated this day without us there. I have much to be thankful for this holiday season!

On a completely different note, I will try to briefly bring my blog up to date... Currently at la obra with the kids club we are making musical instruments from things you could find around the house and preparing songs, dances, a traditional murga performance (costumes, masks and all!) and stories all for the end of the year holiday celebrations. The study center in the mornings is a different story! The students are in the midst of their end of the year exams, which means getting down to business. Not many of them have english exams though, and it is exactly for that reason that I have this moment available to write.

With summer vacations just around the corner, things at the Hogar are, lets just say, full of energy! I am exhausted after a full day of work with those kids, but it is fun to be the one who gets to play games and run around with them. I find myself constantly working on bettering individual relationships with the kids as well as the adults that work in the house. In general developing trust and respect has been a longer and more difficult process than I had imagined. But all I can do is continue to love each one of them for who they are and where they are and those things will come.


The choir is preparing christmas songs and getting ready for holiday performances. I am learning new songs and melodies that, often times, make more sense for a summer christmas than our traditional, ¨let it snow¨ ¨white christmas¨ and so many others... Lots of fun!

For now I have to go work!