Week 1!!!

I am sending you a BIIIIIIG hello, kiss & hug from Argentina! WOW! I can not believe an entire week and 4 days has gone by...yes, I am counting days :) Ok, so let me catch you up with the latest and greatest!

Day of Rest
Tuesday is a day I have come to favor and look forward to because it is our day of rest! Each of us take turns in visiting VERY generous families who live in B.A. and welcome us into their homes as if we were their own children. They feed us yummy meals, let us do some laundry, use their internet (hence how I can keep up this blog!!!), and most importantly, sleep in quiet and peace!! It is truly a gift from above. Last Tuesday we stayed with Lillie and this week it's Maria Pia...So far, I like Lilie's the best because she reminds me of my Mom. I am absolutely humbled by these families because we are strangers to them, yet they completely understand the mission of Heart's Home and while they might not be able to live with the poor like we are doing, they are still living out the Gospel just the same. They are sharing their resources, time and love with us missionaries, when we are completely exhausted, hungry and missing our own Moms, Dads and Sisters.

Our Piano Concert Fundraiser
Wednesday night we had our annual piano concert fundraiser for Heart's Home. It was at The French Embassy in Central B.A. and it was GORGEOUS! I was able to meet some other missionaries from the HH in Santa Fe, Argentina as well as an HH priest and seminarian. My job was to hang up the fancy coats of our guests...and I might have tried on a fur coat or two ;) I have to admit, I was extremely excited to dress up and wear heels and makeup and the whole bit! It won't be happening for the rest of the mission, so I soaked it up! Afterwards, we all went over to a friend of HH's apartment and ate empanadas!! Empanadas are a-mazing. They are a staple for the Argentina diet...I mean it's no In N Out, but it will definately do :)

My New Friends
Slowly, I am beginning to learn more and more about the personal lives of my new friends of the Villa Jardin (Garden Village). You see, each day we take turns going to various houses in the neighborhood to visit with people, learn about their lives, laugh with them, cry with them and pray with them. The people here are SO welcoming. They have absolutely nothing, live from day to day and often can not even afford to but their own families food. Yet, when we come over for a visit they offer us whatever they have and we MUST say yes, because they take offense if we decline. Although, eating their cookies and crackers is so difficult to do, when you know that that might be their only food for the day. Mate (pronounced Mat-ay) is an absolute staple for our visits...much like tea in the afternoon for the English.

The Children
I must be very honest with you and if it sounds terrible, it's because it is. There have been moments when a child will come over to color and play and they want to be held and I cringe. I cringe because they smell as if not been bathed for weeks, which is most likely true. They have boogers and snot running from their noses and their hands and face are black with filfth and their hair is filled with lice. My first reaction is to run. Yet, when I ask God for help to look past it all, He comes through every time. And when I look past all the icky outer stuff, my heart melts as they snuggle up next my chest and tell me they love me and that my eyes are a pretty blue. It's moments like these that I realize how small my heart is and how HUGE God's is...and thank Him, that it is He who is loving the people through me.

Vicki
She is a friend whose home is connected to our patio. She has 4 children and 1 grandbaby. She, her husband, and her 4 children and grandchild all live in her home which is the size of a large bathroom in a normal sized house...if that gives you any idea at all. Her oldest daughter, Tamara has a 3 year old little girl named, Aileen. Tamara is very nice, but is only 19 and wants to go out and party all the time. So, she leaves her daughter with Vicki a lot and it makes Vicki sad because Aileen loves her mama so much. Isabel and I went to say hi and about 30 minutes into our conversation, she just started to cry. She said how stressed she is and how difficult the living situation is and that there is nothing they can do because they have absolutely no money to move into a bigger place. How helpless I felt as she poured her heart out. How much I wanted to do anything to buy her a home, but I could not. Instead, I could hold her hand and silently pray for her family, and so that is what Isabel and I did.

Viviana
Viviana lives right across the street from our home with her 3 kids (all teens), her husband and her new grandchild. Her family makes little knick knacks to sell at one of the local kiosks. When I went over for a visit, I hit it off with her oldest daughter, Natalia who wants to learn English soooo badly! She was begging me to speak in English so she could mimic me. I watched as Viviana's husband played so nicely with his new grandchild. He was very quiet and kept to himself much of the time. The house seemed so peaceful and I was pleased that this family seemed to have things somewhat in order. Then, I learned of the real situation as we walked home. Viviana is dying of cancer and because she has no money for treatment or medicine, she is in a lot of pain all of the time. Her husband is an alcoholic and when he gets drunk he turns into a monster and beats his whole family. This happens on a nightly basis. Her precious smile just kept popping up in my head and I wanted to go back in her house and kick the crud out of the dad...but what would that do? So, Denis and I offered up her family to Jesus during night prayer and will continue to love her and comfort her through our visits and through prayer.

Shonnie
Shonnie and his younger brother Fernando are very close friends of ours. They come over nearly every day. I absolutely love them. They always have smiles on their faces, they always help with cleaning the house or cooking and are just a lot of fun. I just found out a couple of days ago, that these boys' parents abandoned them when they were 10 years old and left them on the streets to fend for themselves because both parents were drug addicts and couldn't afford their addiction and their children, so they made a choice. At the age of 12, Shonnie became addicted to a local drug called Paco. It's extremely addicting and can kill a person after one use because it is so toxic. It's basically the waste products of marijuanna and cocaine...it's a street drug. Because of the love and outreach from former HH missionaries and the help from Padre Maxi, Shonnie is trying to get clean. However, life has been handing him terrible circumstances lately. He and his brother were kicked out of their home, he can not get a job because he has no record of existing since his parents never registered his birth and he just found out that his younger brother is using the same drug he is trying to kick. This young man is only 17 years old! He never complains and is always smiling and giving thanks for what he has. After dinner one night, I nearly broke down in prayer because I have SO much to learn from him. This young boy is suffering so much in this life. Yet, he has no clue of the reward stored up for him in Heaven. He is literally living the life of Jesus's passion, every day, all day. No breaks, no days of rest, nada. Yet, when he comes into our home, he knows without one doubt he is loved and wanted and needed and THAT helps to enable him to keep going...at least that is what he tells us.

Final Thoughts
I am slowly, very slowly, realizing why God and lots of saints, talk a lot about how doing small things with great love is far better than doing big things with no love. I can give absolutely nothing materially to my friends and it is so hard for me. I'm used to being able to pick out the cutest card from Target for my mom, or to find the perfect gift for my dad or to pick up a coffee for my sister to show them my love. Here, the only thing I can give to Vicki, Viviana and Shonnie, is my presence and my prayers...it's that simple. It's not easy and I have to tell myself over and over and over that it's what they need more than anything.

THANK YOU for your words of encouragement. I read them over and over and over again because I have no doubt that God uses you all to speak to me, to keep my eyes and heart focused and to be reminded as to why exactly I'm here. Please, keep me, the missionaries and my new friends in your prayers as you are always in mine each and every day. I can't wait to share with you next week :)
Buenos noches!!!
xoxoxo