Passports in Hand

This afternoon, a man who does not speak Spanish, the language spoken here in Argentina, travelled half-way across town on foot and by subway to secure temporary passports for our group.  It appears we will be leaving tonight.  Our van is scheduled to pick us up at 6:00 PM.  Below is our flight information. 

United Airlines Flight # 818 departing Buenos Aires on Monday, August 5th @ 9:20 PM to fly to Houston 

United Airlines Flight # 222 departing Houston on Tuesday, August 6th @ 9:28 AM to fly to SJC

We are scheduled to arrive in San Jose at 11:24 AM on Tuesday, August 6th.  

Thanks for your prayers and support.  Thank you to members of the Bellarmine, San Adolfo, Colegio Sagrado Corazon and Colegio Del Salvador communities, Fr. Ted Gabrielli and the rest of the Jesuits who made this journey possible.  Thank you to all those involved in Fe y Alegria, especially Martin and Florencia.  

God willing, we will see you soon.  

Michael Henry, Steve Pinkston and all members of the Uruguay Immersion 2013 group.

 

Applying for Temporary Replacement Passports...

Last night we had the best gelato any of us had ever tasted... again! 

We woke the boys up at 6:45 AM, had breakfast at a small, local "mom and pop" eatery a block away from Colegio Del Salvador, and made our way to the subway station for a 10-12 minute ride (and 15 minute walk) to the U.S. Embassy. During our nearly two and a half hour wait, we met other travelers.  We were able to apply for temporary passports at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires this morning, but the documents will not be ready until 2:30 PM (local time). When we have them in hand, we will let you know.  

Transportation to the airport is scheduled to pick us up from Colegio Del Salvador at 6:00 PM.  

Everyone is doing well.  

Thanks for your support and prayers.  

Michael Henry and Steve Pinkston

P.S. On a humorous note: We're all wondering if, perhaps, the guy from the Men's Warehouse commercials is now living in Argentina. 

Gratitude

I am very grateful to the Jesuits for allowing us to stay here with very little notice. Although we are divided by land, I truly believe the Jesuit community is united through Christ. 

-Jason Ajiake 

 

As much as I want to be home, I'm glad that we were provided with a place to stay.

-Kenan Mathews

I am grateful for the path that God is leading me on. This trip has helped me come to conclusions with things that have been bothering me for a period of time. When things went wrong, I have God to turn to and I am blessed for the advice and comfort God has given me.

-Beniam Gebrat

I am grateful for the Jesuits for allowing us to stay here. As Mr. Pinkston said this morning, "I find it interesting that we were here to serve others, and now we are being served by the Jesuits."

-Brandon Machado

Experiencing the warm welcome from the Jesuit community at Colegio del Salvador has reminded me that kindness and generosity are always present, even in situations that seem to be all bad. I am grateful for the Jesuits offering their support and friendship to our group.

-Eoin Bonner

I was the first one to talk to the Jesuits that are allowing us to stay here. I was amazed and incredibly grateful that they offered us a place to stay without even asking for one. I did not mention that we needed a place to stay but they said come stay here. That was really special and incredibly generous for them to do :)

-Daniel Mendez

A central part of this trip was our work in the impoverished community of El Dorado, Uruguay. Though we left El Dorado a few days ago, we still encounter poverty here in Buenos Aires. Petty theft, like the crime committed yesterday, is driven by poverty and need. I pray and ask God to relieve the condition that requires people to steal. And though I miss my family, I am grateful for these extra few days in Argentina and the opportunity to reflect on the past two weeks.

- David Dalton

In a time of despair it can be difficult to look on the bright side of things. After reflecting on the incident, I realized how much more could have gone wrong. I am also grateful that I will get to see my family and loved ones soon because I found it incredible that we were able to find 14 seats on a flight only two days away.

-Pedro Sanchez

I am incredibly grateful for the hospitality and love shown by the Jesuits at the Colegio del Salvador. It surprised me how willing they were to accept us despite having only met us a few days ago. I hope the  remainder of the trip goes smoothly and I look forward to sharing the experiences I have had over the past two weeks with my friends and family.

- Bill Lewis

Gratitude can be a funny concept because you either give some or receive some. Last week the community of El Dorado felt gratitude for the action we took to make a better foundation for the kids of Fe y Alegria. Now, my brothers and I feel gratitude towards the Jesuits of Colegio del Salvador because they opened their arms and received us. I am truly grateful for the fact that everyone is safe and I have faith that God will be watching over us.

-Salvador Gutierrez

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" (Dickens).

-Ian Granger

To understand gratitude we must first experience it in return. I want to acknowledge all of the people who made this experience possible as well as everyone we have met on the way that have made this trip worthwhile. To give is to receive and we have received the grace of God.

-Brandon Briones

I have been humbled on this trip many times - even before we left San Jose- but I still believe this was the trip God wanted us to take.  Like everyone else, I miss my family. (Yes, a 47year-old can miss his family!)  I know there are some folks who don't have family waiting for them anywhere.  I am very grateful for my wife who reminded me via text yesterday evening that "maybe God has a present there [in Argentina] that He didn't want you to miss." 

-Michael Henry

In the 4th chapter of Philippians (vs 4 - 13) Paul challenges us all to rejoice in all things--whether we are  up or down.  He then says confidently that God will always be there to guide us.  I am thankful that we are all safe and being cared for.  I praise God that AGAPE has been extended to us.  I am assured that  all things are working out for us.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers!

-Steve Pinkston

Change of Plans...

Family and Friends- 

We had plans to conclude our journey to South America this evening.  Unfortunately, Mr. Pinkston's backpack containing our passports was stolen from the hotel lobby ten minutes before we were scheduled to board our bus to the airport.  After contacting hotel security and calling the local police, we boarded the bus anyway and attempted to catch our scheduled flight using copies of our passports, but we were unable to leave because no one, not even a group of Bellarmine students on an immersion trip, is allowed to leave Argentina (or the United States) without an actual passport - copies don't count.  For nearly two hours Mr. Pinkston made every effort to convince them to allow us to fly this evening (Sunday).  

The United Airlines representatives were helpful in providing internet access, telephones for local calls, rescheduled flights, transportation from the airport, and copies of new passport applications.  After several phone calls, e-mails and texts, the Jesuit community at Colegio Del Salvador, the Jesuit school two blocks from hotel, welcomed us.  (I think all of us became recipients of the kind of love and service we had hoped to offer others when we sign-up for this trip. Thank you, Jesuits!)  Fr. Ted Gabrielli, without whom this service immersion trip would not have been possible, was instrumental in arranging these alternate plans.  Thank you, Fr. Gabrielli. 

Our spirits are, perhaps, a little dampened, but we will simply be here in Buenos Aires 48 hours longer than we had expected.  One of the Jesuits, Fr. Marcelo, Assistant to the Provincial, simply said, "Well, enjoy your extra day in Buenos Aires."  

Our meals will be provided and there is no cost to stay the extra two nights in Buenos Aires at the Jesuit residence.

The U.S. Embassy is closed on the weekends.  Yes, there is a phone number for these situations; however, the representative  from the U.S. Embassy only gives information about what to do on the next business day. Monday morning all fourteen travelers will go to the American Embassy in Buenos Aires (which we saw yesterday) to apply for new passports.  We have been told this process should take about an hour for our entire group. Hopefully, that will be the case.  

Here's our new flight information: 

United Airlines Flight # 818 departing Buenos Aires on Monday, August 5th @ 9:20 PM to fly to Houston 

United Airlines Flight # 222 departing Houston on Tuesday, August 6th @ 9:28 AM to fly to SJC

We are scheduled to arrive in San Jose at 11:24 AM on Tuesday, August 6th.  

Thank you for your patience and prayers.  

Michael Henry and Steve Pinkston. 

P.S. Below are a few photos from yesterday's visit to Colegio Del Salvador. 

Our Final Night in Buenos Aires

Today marked our second day in Buenos Aires, which is commonly noted as the Paris of South America. I, myself, have never been to Paris, but Bill says it's very nice. Knowing Bill, I do not think I can take his word for it; however, I have noticed the diversity of culture this city has to offer. Touring the city, our first stop was El Caminito in La Boca, a strip of street vendors and small local stores all seemingly focused on Argentinian culture. No less than two minutes after arriving in La Boca, we were invited to take part in a tango dance. Intimidated by the new experience, and the fact that we had to pay for it, we chose not to take the offer. Luckily, we still got to enjoy professional dancers do what they do best.  However, tango was not the only thing we experienced. Soccer jerseys, leather clothing, dulce de leche, and Argentinian pride were easy to find in every store. Our cultural immersion, however, was not found only in these small streets of Buenos Aires.  I believe most of us would think we experienced and deeply appreciate culture mainly back in Uruguay where we made friends with the school children and other residents of El Dorado. 

Yerba mate is a common drink in South America, especially in Uruguay and Argentina. Mate can be described as a cultural, social drink. Usually drank out of a pumpkin gourd, it is mostly described as a strong tea.  After being prepared in a certain way, the mate drinker would experience a bitter taste described by Bellarmine students as "a mixture of black coffee and green tea." Usually the mate is not consumed for its taste, but rather for the purpose of socializing, not to mention the energy boost one receives after drinking it.  Don't worry; mate is safe.  We were told repeatedly that Uruguayan children begin drinking mate at the age of four. All of the participants of this trip at least tried the mate (this doesn't mean they all enjoyed it), but I personally made sure that the majority of us at least tried it by the end of the first week. This communal drink that the locals introduced us to actually brought us closer together. During these mate sessions I felt a strong sense brotherhood bonding, as we reviewed each day's events over a cup of mate.  The traditional ways of drinking mate rubbed off on us in a way I never thought would be possible. I can honestly say that our indulgence in this cultural tradition has been one of the highlights of our trip. Our mutual love for mate influenced most of us to buy our own mate bowls. I feel like we all fit into Uruguay and Argentina just a little more than we would have without mate.  

My experience with the locals has been an unforgettable one. I have established meaningful relationships in a matter of days, stronger than ones with friends I have known for years. The people of El Dorado are honestly the kindest, most welcoming human beings I have encountered in the short while I have been on this earth. Nowhere else have I felt more appreciated than I have in El Dorado by the people of El Dorado. I have heard the same thing from numerous people who return from immersion trips, but I had never truly experienced it in real life until now: those people who have the least often give the most. Maybe we can all learn a little from them. 

-Pedro Sanchez '14

Two Countries in One Day

In my life I have experienced numerous goodbyes; returning home after visiting family members in other states, parting ways with friends living in different areas, and leaving classes everyday at Bellarmine. However, today I took part in a unique goodbye, as we departed from Uruguay and said our final farewell to Florencia, our guide from Fe y Alegria. While I was excited to arrive in Buenos Aires, I was also disappointed that we had to leave Uruguay, as I had become comfortable staying in El Dorado and Montevideo, and began to feel as though I had found a second home. What helped me feel better about this departure were the plans that had been made ahead of time to preserve the connections formed in Uruguay. Throughout our time in the country, we brainstormed ideas to work with agencies that we visited and discussed possilbilities for the future. I have never left a place before and felt so distressed and content at the same moment. 

-Eoin Bonner

Leaving El Dorado on the Feast St. Ignatius - 7/31/13

Since today was our last day in El Dorado, we began the day by returning our mattresses to the school. Soon after, we celebrated the Feast of Saint Ignatius, joined by the students from Fe y Alegría and continued to paint after the mass. We then went back home to have lunch, where we were joined by Jose Luis Rodriguez, a member of the teen youth group. After lunch we returned to the school to finish painting and scraping paint from the ground. At around 4:30, we returned home to get our bags and say our final goodbyes to Jose Luis (youth group member), Beti and her husband Juan Luis Gonzalez who were all very grateful that we treated them as equals, with dignity and respect. As we were packing our bags into the bus to Montevideo, Bryan, a young boy  from the school, climbed into the bus to take pictures and say goodbye to his new friends from America. Beto and Juan Luis Gonzalez watched us from a distance, standing outside of the the place we called home for just one week, the place where they had cared for us with kindness and love.  Once we got to Montevideo, we took our bags into the retreat house (where we had stayed last week) and left for the Jesuit school named Colegio Sagrado Corazon (Seminario), where we attended their mass for the Feast of Saint Ignatius. After mass we received a quick but thorough tour of the school and then took a bus to a restaurant to have pizza with Martín and Florencia, our gracious hosts from Fe y Alegria. 

Seeing the kids for the last time at Fe y Alegría brought out some bitter/sweet emotions amongst our group. Although we're excited to enter the final chapter of this experience, I know I'm personally going to miss a lot of people that I've met from both the school and youth group. The amount of love that we received from an entire community is inexplicable. Even with a language barrier, we were united as God's people. During the mass at Colegio Seminario, I remembered what Florencia had told us about the nature of Uruguay's economy. She told us that there is a large gap between the poor and the rich, and an almost non-existent middle class. I understood what she meant by this when I stared at the beautiful and elaborate chapel at the Jesuit School, and compared it to the modest chapel at the Fe y Alegría school. Although I'm going to miss all the extraordinary people that I have met in El Dorado, I'm looking forward to the days to come here in Uruguay and in Argentina. 

Celebrating the Feast of St. Ignatius with the Children of San Adolfo Fe y Alegria School

Our Last Meal in El Dorado

Journey in Uruguay- Tuesday July 30th, 2013

   Today is our final full day in El Dorado and our day began earlier than usual. With our usual breakfast and our bodies ready for another day of work, we made our way to the San Adolfo Fe y Alegria school.  I am now thinking about the progress which we have made over the past few days at both the school and the Fe y Alegria teen center. It has been a group effort with each member doing their part to achieve success throughout the duration of our stay.

   As we arrived at the school we split into groups with half painting the remaining walls, while the rest scraping away at pillars and walls which were dirty. I was in the group scraping away paint and dust which had accumulated over time. The repetitive movement of the steel brush and the constant barrage of shavings hitting my face made it quite difficult to work effectively. To top it all off, the day had mixed weather with the heat blasting us in the morning and the cold air in the evening. At this point I have become accustomed to the weather, but what surprised me was the fact that there are so many people in Uruguay who have to deal with this type of labor in these conditions every day. This feeling of thankfulness which I am having runs through the veins of each and everyone in the group as it motivates us to work harder. 

   To continue on our labor experience, one man in particular, the painting contractor Fernando, has been assisting us on our mission to improve the school. He has been both a great help and motivational figure as he, while having an injured leg, has been working with us the entire time . Not only is he hopping around from place to place, but he even climbs on the roof of the school to help paint. His desire to fix the school has been a great inspiration to me as it gives me a better sense of what it takes to work hard. 

   While working at the school a few individuals went back to the teen center to work on the mural which we were given the honor to help paint. Not only do we get to paint it, we were also the ones who chose the design which will be used on the wall which David, Sal, Keenan and I primed yesterday. The teens of El Dorado have embraced us with open arms as we have been congregating and participating with them in different events. A few days ago on Saturday we had the chance to hangout with a few of the older teens as well as Jonathan, one of Fe y Alegria's advisors. Once again I have met a very inspiring individual. Jonathan is probably one of the most hardworking individuals I have met on this trip as well as anywhere else. Not only is he an advisor at the teen center, but he teaches at San Adolfo during the day time. The teens under Jonathan's care have made this trip a worthwhile experience, as we are given the chance to meet people of our same age in another part of the world. 

   My experience here in Uruguay personally has been a life changing experience. I say this because the people I have met and the events I have partaken made this immersion into a fun and exciting adventure. To explain one of the many highlights of the trip I was able to interview the Jesuit Provincial of Uruguay and Argentina, Fr. Alejandro Tilve, and Fernando Anderlic the Director of Fe y Alegria Argentina. Between the two of them I was able to fully understand the message of Fe y Alegria which is to bring hope and opportunity to those who need. The duty which we served this week was to make a place which would cultivate hope for the students to pursue knowledge.                     

Thanks,

-Brandon Briones