Acts of kindness

Hello there from the playground of Colegio San Lorenzo! James and I are learning the benedictine value of humility in many different ways. This past weekend was great, we both clocked in some good times with oblates, friends, etc.
Friday, I had my second meeting with my lectio group. It is lead by Alvaro one of the head tutors of San Benito and he is a great guy. We meet with about 6 other old boys of San Benito, basically alumni of the school who are interested in being involved in the movement. We met at one of their homes and had snacks and read a little scripture. Not a bad time and it was great to meet some young guys who were all my age outside of San Lorenzo. That night, I went up to Jose Manuel's home and assisted Anthony in working with Ignacio, Jose Manuel's 24 year old son. Ignacio is amazing. He has a condition where he cannot walk or talk. Working with him takes constant vigilance.James and I met him during our vacation to the coast, but hadn't seen him for weeks. He remembered me though, and we hit it off really well together. It is work like this where I wish I had more practice in personal care or physical therapy, but as Anthony says, my presence is a gift to Ignacio. This was a wonderful opportunity to become closer with the Movement and the family who have given Manquehue so much of their lives. Ignacio has 3 brothers and a sister and they are really amazing as well. Domingo, the middle child is an excellent Guacho in training and I think he will be an excellent guide during our time in Patagonia.
Speaking of Patagonia, I am invited and will be buying my ticket soon. This sure is a unique and wonderful opportunity for the Benedictine Volunteers. We will be participating in Chelenco, a missions trip with 30 other youth in villages in Patagonia. This will be building relationships, frindships, etc with kids and families along with lectio. I am so excited for this! After the two week mission, I will spend a month at San Jose, Manquehue's community in Patagonia. I do not know about Punta Arenas, but I think I would rather live in a place where only 4 or 5 Americans have been, than go to the tourist trap of Torres del Paine. It is those experiences which push our limits, and raise our potential: thats when we truly learn how to live. Thats what I want in my Patagonia experience.
I truly am learning to live more simply, in community, and am growing as a Benedictine person. I can only hope the other volunteers around the world are feeling good about their experiences. I know it has been the tough days that have helped me learn to grow and share my real self.
I sure miss Saint John's but feel very lucky to be here. Oh and the herbal tea matte rocks.
Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and emails!
David

Just another day at San Lorenzo

Dogs walking in classrooms. Kids eating mush. Ping pong. Bibles. Chocolates. 2 Gringos: welcome to San Lorenzo. Hi everyone, I am typing this with about 4 boys asking me what I am doing.

Typical week here in Chile, James and I are doing well. I have taught the kids my camp songs in English class, and we go over the vocabulary. They like it when we talked about the ocean and the city, I taught them baby shark. Can't have a bad time singing and learning at the same time. Fr Mark is right, singing and dancing is a great way to learn a language. Kudos Pader.

Let's see James and I have been doing great getting accustomed to Chilean life and I think James might be part Chilean. He sure can blend in well. Sadly, he is stuck with the most odd looking person in this urban area of Santiago.

I think the kids are really adapting to having James and I around. We eat lunch with the students everyday... well we entertain them as they laugh and share their food. Not a dull moment.

The past weekend James took the opportunity to visit his host family in Vina del Mar from last year. He had a great time, and I will be going off with him again soon. I went for a run up cerro de San Cristobal, which is a lot harder than it looks. I have lost some weight here, which is a fine feeling. I also spent my Saturday with Jonathan and Anthony helping the two of them clean their office at San Benito. I also am working with Anthony in preparing a document on dams around the world, because the country is planning on building dams within Patagonia. Not a good idea to one of the last untouched places on the face of the earth. I will be spending a month in a place that before Charlie and Cole, very few Americans have ever been to in January. Not a bad thing to look forward to. I am working on getting that ready, it reminds me a lot of my work in Environmental Politics. Wish I had Jeff Anderson's peace tunes cd for some good jamming. Ah well... the music in Chile is very unique. I really like it, and hope to share some with my friends when I return. Our Sunday was nice and quiet. We went to an old marketplace that was once run by Dominicans in Santiago. Things were way too pricey, but I bought a few things for some family members. This weekend we will be here in Santiago, and will be going to a play written and directed by Patrick Blumer, the first Englishman to become an oblate. He is married to another gringa and the two raised their 8 children here in Chile. Talk about a great life story! I am not really sure what the play will be about, but it could be good.

Hope the Vikings put a smile on everyone's face and the Johnnies have a great playoff run. Soccer is a cool sport, but I am terrible with my eye foot coordination. Ah well... all part of the fun right?

Things are well here in Chile, and I think James and I for the most part are overall doing great. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts.

-David

Happy Halloween and November

Hi everyone!!!

Here we are in Santiago, with nothing too different to report. James and I went on a retreat with 100 8th graders and had a great time. It was south of Santiago and we basically were in charge of a small cabin of guys and participated in lectio, activities, etc. It was an awesome time believe me! The view was great and everyone was happy. 8th graders are 8th graders though and some of them had chips on their shoulder. No Halloween celebrated here, nor Day of the Dead. I was looking forward to some Chilean candy, but sadly that must come another day. We are still doing alright in San Lorenzo and with the oblates at home. I am improving on my spanish, and finding people to trust more and more.

James and I have been great together forming community groups among the kids. Our games program and homework help has been really good. Kids are asking me about math and english almost any chance they can. That is great if you ask me, they are learning to trust us a lot. I am learning a lot about the families here in Chile, it is pretty sad to see how mixed the homes for these children are. We found a house that the school will have to give an extreme makeover, including installing plumbing. Hopefully that will give James and I a good service opportunity to pitch in.

We are off to Patagonia in January, and I will be traveling to the end of the Amercias in February. Manquehue has a mission held in Coyaihque on the edge of the lake district. That will be a dream come true. Don't worry, you will see lots of photos!

I can't believe we have been here for two months, time sure does amazing things when you are fully immersed in a different country! I sure hope the other BVC sites are doing well, guys we are praying here lots for you.

Saint John's Abbey keep up the great work you do! I miss you monks!

Ciao for now.

Dave

Dia de la familia y cerro Manquehue

Hola everyone! James and I are continuing our journey and are very happy. We had a great weekend full of excitement.

On saturday, we celebrated Family Day and had a great time at San Lorenzo with the students and their families. It was an excellent opportunity to be with the kids outside of their normal school days. We got to jump on trampolines, go on a ride, and of course feast on junkfood like any fair. During the day, James was asked to participate in a dance competition with other members of the school. He backed out though, but volunteered someone else...me. So I danced with a 12 year old girl, and we actually got 3rd place out of 10. Who knew? Fun times had by all and lots of laughs.

Our house for the past week has been close to San Benito. We have been living with Benjamin, Chris Dobson, Andres, Juan (a 19 year old college kid) and Jorge my friend from San Lorenzo. We spent the weekend together and saturday night watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Talk about a downer film. Oh well. Sunday we woke up early and went to mass, followed by a 5 hour hike up Manquehue hill. The hill was huge and beautiful, and it reminded me a lot of being a little kid hiking in MN. The view at the top was gorgeous and I took a ton of photos. Santiago looked so tiny. The houses near the hill reminded me of the old homes on Summit Avenue, and we all joked which one we would live in. The way down was a little scary, we all slipped and slid down the rocks and dirt. Oh well, no broken bones just some scrapes. We were pretty stiff and sore that evening, but had a good time with the guys sharing lots of laughs and stories.

James and I are getting into our routines, which have changes a bit since starting here almost 2 months ago. James and I both work in the library in the mornings after lectio and help out with classes. James takes on more classes than I do. I only teach 3 days a week. I have been assigned a new project with the Family Office and am recording data for a study, and going with two social workers every Wednesday to different homes to speak with the families, etc. Mostly pastoral and social work, which I do like. I am really realizing that I have a lot of talent, not only in the classroom or talking to kids, but with families, ministry, and people in general. The people here really seem to think I am either a charming guy, or just a goofy gringo. No, things really have been going well and I think James and I could not be more happy with the situations and work here at San Lorenzo. We have decided to help at San Anselmo every other Thursday, and focus most of energy here at San Lorenzo. So far, that has been going great.

We start our lectio groups with other men soon, and I will hopefully be starting to do more to get involved in the Movement. Thanks again to the monks, our families, and friends.

Love ya

David

Walking,baking, building

Oye!. James and I have had an incredible weekend, and if I don't share it now, I never will. This was the weekend of the caminata. The caminata is a pilgrimage for the youth of Chile about an hour outside of Santiago. I call it a desert-like mountain area, somewhat like Southwest Colorado. This is how it all happened. James and I woke up at 3:30 am on Saturday and were out the door by 4:15 with Andres and took a bus with 55 students and about 20 adults to the foothills of the Andes. I had with me a packed lunch of sandwiches, fruit, a brownie, my bible, shorts, long-sleeved shirt, hat, and of course my SPF 70. The day was really warm when we arrived at about 7 am. Basically we walked, walked and walked up and over mountains all morning. I had the pleasure of walking with Jorge one of the tutors, Sebastian a 9th grader, and Minina a 24 year old psychologist who smoked on the way up. We were met by 80,000 other Chileans along the way. It started getting very warm and my backpack was wearing me down before lunch. Silly me, I brought along my huge bible, which we ended up never using. Oh well. They had water trucks, like big fire water trucks that would periodically squirt water at people every 2 hours. We stopped for lunch at 1, where I met Alvaro, Pipo, and Traffi who are 3 people from San Anselmo. Those kids are really nice, but not as genuine as the kids at Lorenzo. Minina ended up drifting off after lunch, but I had the walked the last half down the mountains with Romina one of the tutors, and Darly, Catalina, and Daniela all students at San Lorenzo. We had a great time singing songs, and they enjoyed me dancing and making it fun. It was getting so warm as we walked the last quarter, but in the distance I saw the Andes and I was in heaven. We finally made it out to the huge wooden church in the middle of nowhere, and were met sadly by vendors who tried selling rosaries, bandanas, and hard candy. I dont know why people werent selling ice cream or drinks. The girls and I were one of the last groups to arrive at about 5 pm, just before mass began. Most people slept through mass, and I had fun being me and talking with people afterwards. After everything, the Manquehue group all got together for a huge dance circle. I still have no idea where people got all the energy. It was awesome!

After a 3 hour wait on a bus in the parking lot, of which I went out to gather water, we were on our way home at about 9pm. It was a long day, but so amazing to see all those people together walking. We all should walk more, and I recommend John Francis' Planetwalker to anyone.

Yesterday, James and I woke up after our long 25 mile walk and got a call from Jorge, a 23 year old tutor who is becoming a very good friend of mine. He asked if we wanted to go to Recoleta and help build a roof for one of the families. We did, and boy was it a good opportunity. The house really needed a new roof and the family had 8 children who were in need of some service. The house sure opened my eyes again to the terrible class and poverty problem here in Santiago. Remember the shantytowns of the Great Depression? Worse and with a lot more garbage. The family fed us rice, veggies, and fruit. With the help of Alvaro, the 27 year old head of tutoria from San Anselmo, 3 boys from San Benito, 1 boy from San Lorenzo, Jorge, James and I were able to reframe the roof and add "shingles". I thought a lot about my life at this moment and the blessings I have been given, but also the fact that home is really where your heart is. This family truly had a home.

I am now teaching english primarily in the middle school level. This includes my high school algebra class, and a religion class to freshman boys. My philosophy classes are done, because really the teacher didn't need my help. Those kids rock at the middle school level, and make me think about my cousins who are all that age. I am better at authority for that age, and a better friend to high schoolers. I will also be working with families and doing more service like things on Wednesdays, on top of helping in the library, tutoria office, and the maintenance crew.

Going to San Anselmo every other Thursday but will try to make it a priority next school year ( March, April, May, June). James is doing great everyone, and he really is becoming fluent as ever. Kids and professors have him translate and teach a ton. I think that is so great!

Still praying 5 times a day and doing lectio. Hope all the other sites are moving well.

Love from the Andes

Dave

Programs, classes, and laughs

Greetings!

James and I are doing well and getting more comfortable with navigating the metro and bus system and getting more familiar with our surroundings. Remember we are at school for 12 hours a day and have very little time to ourselves, all part of community huh?

I have now been named DA, Loco, or just Gringo loco. All of which are terms of affection and mean that these children in Chile must really like me. Both Jim and I have been working hard on building relationships with the kids in any way that we can. For me that means dancing, singing, laughing and most of all being me. Some things just dont change when you travel to another part of the world.

So Jim is now English teacher Superman. I think he has about 10 classes a week for about an hour and a half each. Thats great! I am busy working on our upcoming recycling program which means contacting teachers about what we plan to do. We plan to create a competition between the grades to see who can collect the most plastics, glass, and paper. Hopefully that will be fun for them and the class that wins will receive a party with James and I. Things are going okay here, but it is difficult to have advertising materials when you have so many schools to share the info to. Ah well... I also am busy with my classes and being Mr Social with the children. Tomorrow I play basketball with the older boys, this probably will mean another opportunity for laughs.

James and I will be going with our students and Andres, Tote', and Anthony to the North of Chile for the annual caminada, which is a day long 30 mile walk. I am super excited, although I hear it will be super duper warm!

The oblates seem to like us, even though there are days where I'm sure they think, why did Saint John's send this goofy red head?

Our Patagonia experience looks like it will take shape January into February, I hope to spend about 40 days in the wilds of the end of the world. It is one of my dreams and I'm really excited. James and I are planning to finally get to Valpariso and Vina soon as well.

Please keep emailing with questions. I should have pictures up soon after the walk this weekend.

Love

David

Working hard

Hi everyone. Jim and I have been spending long days here at San Lorenzo and one day a week at San Anselmo. We are trying to make ourselves resources for the entire Manquehue Movement and the oblates thought having a presence at both San Lorenzo and San Anselmo would be great. We mostly just to recess and play games at San Anselmo. Here at San Lorenzo we are working on getting the recycling program moving and have created signs, posters, and a powerpoint. Sadly our artistic materials are very slim here at San Lorenzo. Everything is a work in progress.

I am spending my breaks helping the custodial staff and teachers with lunch and do any manual labor. Jim is working hard in classes and Fridays have been his busy days with english work. We are both spending time with kids on a one on one basis. My work is much more informal but very helpful. With his psychology and spanish background Jim has begun a program of more formal mentoring, while I am still working with the kids in small groups. My long term assignments of teaching has been great. In english classes we have covered family trees, clothing, basic conversations, and grammar. The middle schoolers and high schoolers have been great with everything and think I am hilarious. Jim was a model for the class with all of the clothes. The freshman girls cracked up and have learned a lot with him.

This weekend Jim and I are planning to visit Valpariso or head north to the Atacama. If not, we will continue to explore this massive city we live in.

We are praying everyday and doing well with our lectio.

I am still working on my guitar skills and getting much better at spanish.

Keep the comments coming!

DA and James