(This will be my last entry for Argentina, and what I experienced.  I have put this off for some time because in a sense, I feel like it isn’t over until I write about this last day.  I don’t think I am ready for it to be over. This day had by far the most impact on me and I am confident the same goes for my team.  Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the conclusion to my trip.)

Argentina, Day 10 (the last day)

Last night ended up well.  It was a huge turn a round.  Except dinner was loco.  Some had to wait to get food for a long time. I did had a warm shower last night!  (oh yea!)  Actually last night was by far the best yet with the amount of noise and the outside temperature.  Gracias Senor!  Thank you Father!  Its funny, I barely hear the dogs anymore.. It’s amazing how you adjust to things.  I have started having dreams with the Chicos in them.  Very funny!  I am excited to have a good night sleep in the next few days.

My last day here started with the best:  Quiet time in the blue circle area among the Chicos.  As always, this is an awesome time.  We have been so blessed by who we have worked with here.  It has been worth every hardship.  The bed of mosquitoes in my corner, the sleeping arrangement, not feeling clean most of the time and so on.  I love moments like sitting in this circle with my new friends this morning.  Praying with them and putting my arm around Jose, and him doing the same for me.  I love being able to pray with them.  I love that when it was time for alone time that they all stayed relatively close.  Meanwhile, the train rolls by and is very loud.  It goes right by the wall a few times a day.  It carries many people.

As I look around, it is shocking how a couple of the Chicos remind me of someone I know back in the states.  I am grateful for this opportunity.  I love these people! I hope Brooke is good and I am glad that she endures me being gone and supports me.

It is by far the coolest day as far as temperature goes.  Thank you for the breeze!  Oh yea, but my butt has never hurt so bad!  haha.. I guess its from sitting on the ground or on benches for 10 days.  And Marcos just came up and shared his matte with me.  What a great memory, the matte.  I love what it represents here.

As far as the day goes, it started off very slow.  The morning was chill.  We had Bible study, we ate and then we played games.  I actually prayed to start breakfast.  I was so nervous that I would get a word wrong.  Some boys were still bad this morning.  I jumped in with the tarp game.  Elisa dominated as usual.  She teaches the children so well!  Then we went to do cheers in the grass.  It was a good time to have everyone cheer.  All of us did some cheers that we do at the Shores, which seemed well received by everyone.  They love when we get krunk..

We had lunch and then outside again to take pictures and said our goodbyes to the children.  Although nobody outwardly said this, I could sense, even in myself, that we were all going to be extremely relieved when these kids would be gone.  However, words don’t express what happened next..

This kids got on the bus and instantly realized that they were afraid to go back to thier horrible homes, or lack thereof.  I watched as one of Jose’s campers cried through the window, and Jose put his hand on the window and his camper returned it.  They both cried.  That was one of many interactions like this happening.  It was a heavy scene to take in.  We then followed the bus to the gate.  You could feel the atmosphere change all around.  We all had the realization of where these kids were going.  We had all been worn out from loving on them while there were in our care.  Little hands and faces pushed out the windows to waive to us and there were many tears.  It was an extremely moving picture as I looked around and saw so many of us and the Chicos weeping.  Powerful.  Tanner then walked up to me and I lost it.  I think I had been holding many things in and this was the break.  Bessy somehow came up at the same time and I just hugged both of them and cried.  Hard.  It was a good, hard cry, for someone who doesn’t cry a whole lot.  Little did I know that the waterworks were on for the rest of the day…  It was an incredible moment.  One that I will not soon forget.  We then circled up and nobody said anything.  You were either wiping your face or staring.  I didn’t know what to say, and all I could think of was “muy bien” as I choked back more tears from seeing all the others.  We then broke out in a song that we had sang with the children over the last two camps:

Tenemos tanto tanto tanto tanto tanto tanto para ser agradezidos,

Demos gracias al padre por… campers, and so on…

We have so much so much so much so much to be thankful for,

We give thanks to our Father for… campers, and so on…

It was a HUGE moment.  Don’t forget that circle.  I remember being next to Joni and seeing his tears hitting the dirt.  Man.

We took some time and then met to debrief.  It was hard because poor Hannah had a harder time translating.  She has done so good, but we were all emotionally fried.  It is a daunting task to lead a group of my staff and Artgentinians with a translator, or rather with someone who is trying to translate, and it isn’t her job.  Luis helped out a lot, much to Hannah and I’s thanks.  The main gist of our time was me wanting to explain that the Chicos can do camp, even without us.  Bessy inturupted us with a phone call saying that the kids missed us.  They were on the bus and the pastora called to tell her.  Then we went back to meeting, and she got another phone call.  She told us that this kids were back at the little church singing, “tenemos, tanto, tanto..”. We could hear them singing over the phone.  It was moving.  Many tears flowed again, all around.  I remember seeing many fighting them back.  I tried to get it together and said “Listen, this is why we do what we do…” Another big moment.

We then split to debrief in our own groups for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, the Chicos went and jumped into the pool with all their clothes on.  I was confused because I thought they were meeting, but then they did in the pool.  I am amazed by how they blend fun and relationships with meetings.  They know their priorities, and it shows.  Our meeting was good, and then I thought we should take some pictures together.  So everyone went to get their cameras.  But while I was waiting, I decided to just go and jump into the pool next to all the Chicos meeting with Bessy.  I ran in and they all cheered.  My staff quickly clued in and followed!  It was incredible.  Then we all broke in this crazy pool celebration.  Its hard to describe.  It was this huge party where everyone was just overjoyed.  It was truly amazing.  Then we jumped out and started cleaning up and getting changed as we were going to leave in just a few hours.

Quick sidenote:  I am learning the lesson of what not being able to fully speak does.  By not being able to communicate clearly or understand the language, we couldn’t rely on the junk that come our of our mouths so regularly.  It had to be our actions.  No question.  No debate.  Actions before words.  In the States, we can all understand each other more or less, and we use our words to appear different than we are, or to try to convince others of who we “really” are.  But the truth it that it is our actions that display who we are, not our meaningless words.

After we cleaned, we took lots of pictures and spent time outside together during the evening hours.  I wanted to take it all in, so I wandered a little ways a way at one point.  It was a blessing to get that time together.  (As I write I am sad because now it seems like that hour was just a few seconds, and it was such a blessing to all of us.)  We then all went inside to eat one last dinner all together. Steak and Coke, what more could you ask for??  Bessy talked to everyone and said thanks. I got up to stand beside her.  She cried.  I cried.  I told the staff while Luis translated about the situation in Argentina for CCI and Bessy.  I thanked Bessy and her staff and said congrats to Bessy and Tito for their upcoming wedding.  Hugo, the caretaker spoke and said that he has seen a lot of camps come through the property, but never one like this with this kind of people.  He said, “A piece of my heart goes with you.  My family will never forget you.”  And I cried again.  Many did.  It was a combination of being touched and knowing that we were leaving.  I had to explain what we were doing next, which was tough.  I am finding that it is hard to lead through these kind of moments, when you are sad and wanting to process but it is your responsiblity to continue moving forward.  Wow.

We got our stuff to the back area and waited for the bus.  It was late.  We realized that our flight was actually an hour earlier than we thought as well, so things go a little complicated.  The bus finally got there about 8.  It was good because we got more time together, but were worried about missing our flight home.  I announced to say good-byes and so we started the painful process of saying good-bye and hugging friends for what could be the last time in this life.  I made sure to kiss everyone, even if it was awkward.  It wasn’t.  We were all family now.  I remember hugging Tito.  I want to hug like he does.  Jose and Andres were the hardest to say goodbye to because of their tears.  Jose said, “Hasta luego” no “Chow”, meaning not “goodbye” but “see you later”.  The Buenos Aires team went  with us on the bus so we got a few more minutes with them  I remember waiving goodbye was so hard as they followed us out this time, just as we had all done for the campers.  I saw Jose and Joni wearing the blue headbands that I gave them and Agustina wearing the watch I gave her.  I am sad to think about this.

The ride back was good, although we were stressed about making it to the airport in time.  I handed out passports and briefed everyone on what the plan was and then prayed.  We said goodbye to the rest of the Chicos from Buenos Aires, and Luis and Jessy.  Sad again.  But we had to get moving.  So we dominated luggage when we got there and then ran like crazy into the airport.  I remember turning and yelling at Tanner and John a funny phrase.  It was a good moment.  Everything actually went fine.  Our flight was pushed back.  Awesome!  Security was fine, but the terminal was a bit stressful.  I think I was just at the end emotionally.  And I wanted to make sure everyone got back home safely.  We all got on the plane and things settled down. Now we are heading back to Texas.  Wow.  What a phenomenal trip.  I am so proud of my staff and thankful for this opportunity.  It think I will sit here and cry for while and be grateful…

I am eager to get home to read my journals.  I am excited to read them to Brooke and re-live this incredible experience.  Thank you Lord.  Gracias Jesus.  Si Senor.

I can hear Elisa and Jose right now… “oh man!”

There was a big rain storm last night. I woke up like 1000 times.  But it was fine. Its funny how every night I have a ritual of spraying my whole body, even my face, with bug spray.  Then I lay on top of the mattress on the floor and hope I don’t sweat or get but.

…..

It is humbling to sit at the table with the Chicos Bible study this morning.  I wish I knew what they were saying overall.  I wish I knew of the depth of their love for Christ.  These are being read:

Psalm 121, Proverbs 19:8, Isaiah 45:12, Romans 12:9, Jeremiah 33:2, Philippians 2

I am learning to listen.  It seems like they are spitting scripture out to one another.  I can’t tell if their study and conversations are similar to what we do or not. It is good to sit among them and listen.  I think they are comfortable with me being there (probably because they know I don’t fully understand). I have done this a few times and really enjoy it.

…..

I have learned a few more phrases that I use often:

“Choca la cinco” (give me five) and

“Que quieres?” (what do you want?) this one is more like a joke….

…..

Today has been so hard, however, it is filled with joyous moments, nonetheless.  The kids are so rough.  They come from horrifying situations.  Its hard to recall the day because so much has happened and the meals have been at weird times.  The Chicos did their drama and it was very sweet.  Agustina narrated.  You can tell they improved their drama the way we did.  Very cool.  While the kids had snack, I found myself with the guitar, and before I knew it, Andres was teaching me a Spanish worship song.  It was so great to learn and play together.  We sang many times.  Hannah helped translate the words.  I love the lyrics.  Here they are:

“La Unica Razon” (The Only Reason)… also known as “Eres Todopoderoso” (You are all powerful, I think…)

La unico razon de mi adoracion,

Eres tu mi Jesus.

El unico motivo para vivir,

Eres tu mi Senor.

…

La unica verdad esta en Ti,

Eres mi Luz y mi Salvacion.

Mi unico Amor eres tu Senor y,

Por siempre te alabare.

…

Eres Todo Poderoso,

Eres Grande y Majestuoso.

Eres Fuerte, Invencible,

Y no hay nadie como tu.

*****

The Only Reason (In English)

The only reason for my adoration,

Is you my Jesus.

The only motive to live,

Is you my Father.

…

The only truth is found in You,

You are my Light and my Salvation.

My only love is You Father and,

Forever I will worship You.

…

You are all-powerful,

Big and Majestic.

You are Strong, Invincible,

And there is none like You.

What an awesome song!  It was a great blessing to learn this song.  (You can see it on my facebook somewhere.  I recorded it when I got home so Andres could see it.  Its not very good, but oh well…)

…..

After that, I joined everyone else in the gym for some dancing to songs like “ymca”.  It was very fun.  Neal and I danced in the middle and us guys did this fun gorilla dance.  I had no idea, but just picked it up.  Hilarious.  I got my iPhone out and played a few songs.  Jeff finally arrived at the time the dance was happening.  We had some great chats.

So Jeff and Laura and I had a pretty good debrief.  He seems to understand what is going on.  We are glad he is here.  He has had a long journey visiting the other commission camping trips before us.  After we talked, the day really MELTED DOWN.

Boys were running off constantly, especially during the treasure hunt.  The Chicos would keep trying to help and go get them, but it wasn’t working.  So we split the kids and cabins into 2 groups; one in the gym and one out on the field.  I had a boy at the door to the gym (which is this huge metal thing just waiting to cut somebody) who would NOT stop kicking it and banging it.  I literally felt like I was in Jurassic Park.  We finally were able to talk with Bessy and the pastora explaining that this had to be fixed.  We finally arrived at 5 o’clock snack (I don’t know how).  Bessy gathered all of her staff and mine stayed in the dining hall with the crazy kids.  My poor staff had NO idea what to do at this point.  I told them to just hang tight…

I didn’t know how to get into the huddle because they started to pray so I just put my hands on 2 of their shoulders and jouned.  When they finished, they just sort of let me in. We stood in a circle and talked, well, I listened.  They talked about what the heck was going on.  They arrived at teh fact that we needed to do teh camper agreement again.  I thought this was a great idea.  They also said that they were thankful for my staff.  I told them that I was proud of them they best I could and asked them to not be afraid to ask us for help.

I then jumped into the dining hallto tell my confused staff that we were meeting outside asap.  It was so funny because they had NO idea what to do.  I told them to just hop outside and teh Chicos would handle it.  It was a crazy moment, but looking back, its really funny.  So we met and I explained to them the situation.  I told tehm I was proud of them and the tears came.  I was tired and emotional, and just overwhelmed with how awesome these people I get to work with ARE!  “Stay in the game” “I’m here for you” where things we said to each other.  It was a good time for us.

And the day has turned around.  It has been pretty good since all of the madness.  I ended up having a great conversation with Agustina and Neal about her everyday life at home.  I have felt picked up.  Man, we were close to a total meltdown earlier.  I am so proud of my staff and the Chicos.  They wanted to change the schedule for the day so that the children were ready to worship to keep it sacred, instead of just throwing them into it.  So we pushed worship time back.  I loved it, being led by the Spirit.  Now they are singing and doing worship now.  We will see how the kids behave tonight.  It’s about 8:30.

I just watched Tito (Bessy’s fiance) pick up one of the troubled kids up from underneath the table.  Man, his heart is HUGE!  They are singing “cantare de tu amor por siempre” (I could sing of your love forever!)

I got some good sleep last night again.  However, this morning, I could NOT get out of the fog.  My energy is gone.  Breakfast and cabin assignments were fun.  Everything was well prepared, but I could not get out of my tiredness.  I guess it has caught up with me.  We had an awesome prayer time before the kids got here.  I gathered all the counselors together in a circle and had some of them pray out loud.  What a blessing!  (That is actually where my little thumbnail picture comes from - I was playing with a beetle before we started praying.. haha)  Finally the kids arrived late morning.  And then it got crazy.

We found out that the church that was bringing the kids really messed up the camper list.  We were told that they would bring 40 children, and it was more like 55.  It was crazy.  There were kids who were not on the list who had showed up, and there were kids who were on the list who had not come.  And, the kids ages were not recorded accurately, which is a big part of assignments, as we want kids of the same age together.  We literally had to get them in cabin groups and sit in circles while we went around and asked them each their name and age and then move them around as needed.  Names and ages for an hour.  Haha.  But oh man did Agustina do a PHENOMENAL job!  And all the staff were so flexible and just went with it.  So good.

Then we did snack and then games.  The children loved teh water in the bucket game that I was fortunate to get to lead.  It was so fun to watch them get so excited about it, and even the staff did too.  Both Argentina and American.

I learned the word “negro” today.  Obviously, I knew it meant black, but I learned that they use it differently here.  I think it could be literally equal to what we say in the States for a negative use, but I don’t think they use it that way.  I think it is more of a “hey man” kind of thing.  Fairly harmless if used among friends, as most things are with language today.  On another note, Andres made me a bracelet.  Oh man, what a blessing to receive such a personal gift.  I kept trying to explain how thankful I was and that it was better than anything I could have purchased while here.  Lastly, another thought:  “Oh Man” is a fun saying that Elisa I think learned from Carrie.  I love to say it with her and Jose.  What a blessing it is to have little fun sayings that unite us and make us laugh!

Lunch was good, and then we were going to move to our singing and drama time.  It was too hot inside, so we wanted to go outside.  But Hugo (the caretaker) was mowing.  So I asked Laura to go sweet talk him into stopping for us.  It worked!! Then we went over to a corner of the field and wall area where it was all freshly cut grass.  I don’t think anybody minded much, but it was very uncomfortable.  I felt bad for Megan because she was sneezing and itching her eyes, so I tried to move as much loose grass away as I could, but I don’t think it helped.  And then, to make things worse, while we were singing, people kept lighting fireworks on the other side of the wall.  Again, though, I don’t even think the kids noticed.  I think they are so used to chaos that it didn’t matter.  Its amazing how we have constant hurdles to jump over here, like this situation.  It feels like constant spiritual warfare.  Its almost weird, but a joy at the same time to watch God work for us.  Because even still, the singing was good, and the kids were mostly involved.  And then our skit about Moses was incredible!  It was 10 times better than the other time we did.  I think the confidence was there for my staff and even for me, I knew better how to tell the story with Hannah’s translation.  The kids laughed so much at the skit, and that was a blessing!

It is hard not to compare these kids to the last session though.  These kids are way rougher.  They come from extremely troubled homes, or no homes at all.  Its crazy.  We need to look past their attitudes and desire for attention and look inside to see hearts that are gentle and need Jesus desperately.  I pulled my staff quickly to remind them of this.  They agreed, although it was not going to be easy.  Man I love my staff!! This is such a blessing to serve with them and among them.  I just don’t get to do that much at the Shores with everything going on.

I am CONSTANTLY learning the language.  They always teach me patiently.  I now know why my good friend Joey was so transformed by going to Africa, or I guess I have a glimpse as to why.  I am transformed from being here 8 days.  Neal sits close journaling his thoughts.  As I sit here and reflect, I am blown away by what God is doing in my heart.  I miss Brooke, but I do not long to be done here they way I thought I would.  I am content.  I am with my staff.  We do this together.  I am joined by new friends that we have made here, and still want to know them more.  I am blessed to see what God is doing among us here.  It is a good evening.

Last thought of they day… Bessy just came up to talk with me about Jeff arriving at 6:30am tomorrow. And she told me that we need to take many American dollars to exchange for more pesos.  She also told me that I need to send about 3 staff with her at about 5 so that they can each exchange money at the airport.  This is because there is a limit as to how much an individual can exchange.  I understand, but I do not want to have 3 of my staff get up so early.  The MAJOR surprises to do not stop.  Its almost comical.   However, I need to be a peach - warm and fuzzy on the outside but solid in the middle.

I decided to wait out this early airport thing and hang tight before I made a decision, and luckily, Bessy decided to go a different direction.  Awesome!  (Even though some of my staff are so awesome and said that they would go if needed.)  The evening wrapped up with some good conversations and fun.  Our last full day is tomorrow.

Church, Shopping and Hanging Out

(I forgot to mention that there is a really funny story about Jose saying “what” really loud on the bus.  Also, yesterday we saw a really scary black vampire in the market area that I would like to forget.)

Today, I am sitting in the small and hot church, somewhere in Argentina.  It is very sweet to see the people’s hearts that are here.  I sat with Agustina so she can explain what is going on when I don’t understand.  She showed me her favorite verse.  Very cool. More later.

…..

Church was very cool.  But it was hot.  I was worried about my staff, but they were champs!  Daniel, the pastor wanted us to share, so I picked out a few staff to share, with Hannah translating, and it was great.  I am pretty sure it was Brice, Kyle and Hunter who shared about their experiences so far.  They did a great job.  Then they had a few of the children that had attended camp with us share.  That was good too.  Lastly, Daniel wanted me to come up and share.  So I went up with Hannah to say a few words and prayed.  No problemo.  I hope.  We sang a few songs and then listened to Daniel speak.  After, we hung around for a little but to have some juice and socialize.  We then got on the bus to leave.  The children waved goodbye.  They left us with some empanadas and moonpie type of snacks.  They were all good, and since we hadn’t eaten for awhile, they were much needed.

Every bus ride, I try to sit among our Argentine friends.  I love talking with them, learning from them, and now that we are closer, we joke a lot.  It is great.  Jose jokes with tanner and Andres learns English with some of my staffers.  I usually end up talking with Agustina, Esteban, Emi and Elisa.  Its amazing how we have all warmed up to each other.  The friendship seems very pure, but I can see how as time goes on, we all still struggle with the same sin and stuff, the way ALL friendships do.  But, I am grateful to experience pure friendships here.

We arrived at the “Jumbo”, which is just like a mall, but with a HUGE walmart type of store in it.  The whole thing is extremely influenced by an American mall, especially with what they sell.  It was kinda weird.  I felt as if the “shopping” days were close to tainting our experience for the worst.  I could see the “I wants” returning in many of us.  I walked around with Agustina, Elisa and Emi because everyone else ran off.  Then I met up with Andres to jump on a laptop in a store to become facebook friends with him.  That was fun.  It was funny because the man who worked there came over and spoke English to Andres because he thought he was American.  Haha.

I then sat down with Carrie for coffee and a nice conversation.  We talked about life and all that good stuff.  I enjoy my real life talks with my staff that become friends.  It is nice when it goes to the friendship/mentor level.  It is hard to break passed the staff/boss relationship most of the time in the summer.  A few staff trickled in and it was good to see us sitting and enjoying each others’ company.  Kyle came and sat down, which was great too.

We started to gather up to leave, and I ran off with Esteban to go get a Tshirt.  I bought the same one he did so we could be shirt brothers.  :)  They all made fun of me.  haha

We then walked a long time through town.  We were heading to a market.  I was fried.  I learned how to say “I’m cooked” in Spanish.  That was fun.  I had some fun with Jose and Elisa as we walked in the back.  And I would occasionally yell at JD a home alone quote which helped pass the time.  We finally arrived at the market area, but it was not set up yet.  So I lied on the ground with the others.  The market finally opened around the corner so some staff got to get a few things.  I stayed with a few of our Argentine friends.  We then got on the bus to head back to camp for some good relational time.  We swam and drank matte.  Very good!

…..

The other group arrived back at camp with Bessy, Mariana, Ali, Marcos, Jony and Juli.  It was so fun to greet them again!  It was good to see Chris as well (Bluffs Director).  We were not expecting the girls to return, because they said they would be done after their camp session, but it seemed like they all decided to come back!  Very cool.  It was a joy to see them all and the excitement between others.  I wanted to tell them how good it was to see them, but couldn’t find the words very well.

We all hung out and then had dinner.  Tonight, I did get close to melting down. I think it was because of the equilibrium and unity being thrown off with the other groups arriving, but I really don’t know.  I think it was mainly because I am stupid and toxic.  I was letting little things get to me which is ridiculous.  And I was tired.  Laura and Agustina and I planned the next 3 days which was good, and then I went out to play a fun soccer game with everyone.  Then I as able to skype with Brooke which was so great to see her!  It was fun to talk and introduce her to others that were walking by.

The night is slowly came to a close and we are settling in for another night on our beloved floor!

I have to summarize our day in Buenos Aires because it is over now…

Where should I begin?  I got 6-7 hours of sleep which was so good.  Our first bus ride was great.  I learned and practiced the beat I learned yesterday.  Then JD got sick, so we needed to stop at a gas station.  He did great hanging in there.  We waited around for awhile and a couple of us bought a coke, which tasted great.

We later arrived at a small market.  (Our drive to the downtown area was interesting.  We saw a big futbol (soccer) stadium, which was cool.)  A couple of us had to go to the bathroom in a club.  It was no good.  Very sketchy stuff on the walls.  The market was good.  It was a big square, and we wandered around.  We then walked across the street to a little side area.  I stepped into a little store and felt some AC.  That was nice.  Then Emi gave me a carmel candy thing.  It tasted AMAZING!  I don’t know if it was that good, or it was good because I hadn’t had anything that tasted that great yet.  I don’t know.  Tanner then grabbed me and showed me a store that was named “fanny bergman”.. That was funny.

We walked on down the road.  Stopped in some shops.  I tried on some sunglasses.  We then got to some water, and took pictures and looked at different things like a bug ship that had sailed around the world.  It looked like a ship from Master and Commander.  (amazing movie)  We walked over a bridge and back.  We walked forever, but had much fun along the way.  At one point I took my shirt off because I was so hot, but I put it back on as to not cause a ruckus.  We crossed many busy streets and after walking for miles, we arrived at a gigantic outdoor/indoor market/retail plaza.  I had NEVER seen anything like it.  So many people.  I was stressed because I didn’t want to lose anyone.  Everyone got a little touchy because they were tired, hungry and thirsty.

We finally found a side restaurant to eat at.  By the way, if you have 25 people in a foreign country, NEVER try to eat together at one place unless it is planned out in advance!  I mean, that’s hard to do in the States, much less another country!  It was a crazy experience, but it ended up working out just fine.  I sat at a table with Neal, Emi and Agustina, and everyone else was close by so it was fun.  It was the first cold water I had had in days, so that was great! And the bottled pepsi was pretty good too!

After we ate, we had more walking.  We walked through the plaza for a long time.  We finally arrived at an indoor mall place, that reminded me of the galleria.  We then split everyone into families, which was so great!  I still had a hard time having everyone split up because I was feeling like a dad hardcore.  I ended up staying with John, Carrie, Emi, Agustina and Elisa.  I like to stay with as many Argentines that I can because I like to learn as much as I can about Argentina whenever I can.

…..

We had a good time.  We went with Carrie as she bought 2 matte holders for her and her boyfriend.  It was fun to encourage her to get them because she was unsure.  (Now I regret not buying one) We then went to McDonalds to get cheap ice cream.  I got bottle water and felt really cool because I did the whole transaction in Spanish.  We hung out for a little but and then met back up with everyone at the mall.  I ran off with Laura really quick to buy Brooke an Argentina Starbucks mug which was fun.  We then walked FOREVER again.

We saw an important monument on what they say is the world’s widest street.  Then we saw the White House equivalent of Argentina.  That was really cool.  We also saw a wooden subway car.  It was hard for me to understand the significance.  We took some pics and rested.  We had a great bus ride home.  We stopped at a Shell Select.  It was weird.  I felt like I was back in the States for a second.  We got some snacks and jumped back on the bus.  We had a great bus ride home.  We sang American songs and talked most of the way.

…

Back at camp, we swam and had so much fun!  We played follow the leader.  Jose came running up yelling “baywatch”.  Oh man!  We had a blast acting out baywatch stuff.  So hysterical.

We then ate, hung out and talked and then played the animal beat game in the kitchen.  That was a ton of fun.  Man, I could have played that all night.  Tanner really stunk.  I was the king for the most time!  YEA!

Sleep last night was pretty good.  However, we were awoken by wild dogs and roosters at 5am.  Literally.  And then, Chris was snoring like a wild boar, right in our room!  It was a crazy few moments and then I slept again for a good hour and a half.  I felt somewhat rested for the first time yet.  Breakfast went well, and then Bessi, Laura, Agustina and I talked about the schedule for today and some philosophy for camping.  It was good.

We talked about different things, and I was able to share some tips.  They told me that at their other camps, they do things differently.  It was a surprise to me that they do other camps.  We learn many things that I wish we would have known before so I can communicate accordingly.  It is hard to know my place when I find out that this is really year #1 again (even though a team came here in summer of ‘08).  Last time we came, apparently the school they worked with was a whole lot more involved and in control.  It is encouraging, but a little difficult when I hear Bessi say she wants Laura and I to return next year to be with them.  It is difficult because I totally agree and see the need for consistent relationships, however, it isn’t my decision.  I can offer my opinion, but the final call doesn’t rest on me.  So I have trouble finding the words.  I want to agree, but then I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.  I want to return without a doubt, but we will see.  I hope we can arrive at a more long term solution when I am back in the States at PC.

Sidenote:  I am continually blown away by Agustina.  She leads quietly, but still leads.  She is a leader, but not one that we are used to.  Its awesome.  Along with her, the Argentine staff is also doing so well.  I find myself trying to encourage them but not knowing how.  (This is probably the most difficult thing I have ever done.)

We learned today that another group is showing up here at noon.  They are not with us.  They are a part of the school that I mentioned earlier.  They are basically taking over while we try to finish camp with the kids we have here.  We have to just go where they don’t go.  No bueno.  Bessi, nor us, is pleased.  Again, we just have to roll with it.  Si Senor!

We played games and then had lunch.  I almost passed out I was so hungry. After that we gathered together for singing and our closing.  Daniel wrapped up and then they wanted me to speak.  So I grabbed Hannah, and we winged it!  The kids listen well when I talk because I speak English.  It went well I think, thanks to Hannah!  Then we danced and took pictures.  We handed out suckers and the buses came.  The children ran around in a frenzy gathering names from counselors and kept saying “facebook”.  Well, at least the ones who use it.  It was just like camp back home.  How funny.. They all then immediately grabbed each of us and kissed our cheeks and said “chow”.  It is very sweet to watch these children say goodbye with their cultural “hello/goodbye” kiss.  It seemed like the children were so excited to wave goodbye through the windows, and it was sad to see them go.

…..

We all then got a free popsicle from the store (which is only open for the school) and it tasted GOOD.  Andres then taught me a cool hand beat, kinda like boom snap clap, but way awesomer!  We then sat in a circle outside and I led a share and debrief time with everyone.  It was very hard but really good.  I never knew how hard it would be to bridge two cultures and languages.  Leading a camp debrief with people in 2 languages is tricky.  It will make this summer far easier. :)  We then said goodbyes to the bluffs and a few chicos who were leaving to help them - Marcos, Jony, Ali, July, and Mariana.  I am sad to see them go.  Only Marcos and Jony are supposed to return for our 2nd camp in a few days.  It is sad to say goodbye to the 3 girls.

…..

Now we are literally on our own at camp until Sunday night.  (It is Friday)  A few notes that I am thinking of.  (1) It was so awesome the way the Argentina team decorated the dining hall a few days ago.  Signs made from construction paper made it way more fun for the kids.  (2) I love the Argentine greeting. It breaks down such barriers between people right away.  It puts me at ease with everyone I meet so much faster.  In the U.S. everyone keeps everyone at a distance.  Even in a handshake, there are more things at play than just introduction.  It is more about how strong you are, how confident you are than the fact that you are happy to meet/greet them.  (Maybe I can change how I handle this in the States.)   (3) Hannah is doing a PHENOMENAL job.  I know it is hard for her because the level of translation we need is high, and she has really never done this.  (4) My staff are doing amazing.. The counselors have done a great job and my program staff the same!  I am very proud of them.

This is an amazing experience for me personally, socially, and spiritually.  It is also great leadership training.  Wow.  And I feel so bonded with some of my staff which will be so great for this summer.  I am privileged to be able to be an environment where I can serve with my staff and get to know them better.  It is hard to do that in the summer, because there are so many and there is SO much more going on.  Juggling parents, campers and staff as well as responsibilities is a ton.  It is refreshing to do something simpler and with a smaller group of people.  Quality, not Quantity.  Yes.

We had snack together and then I circled up my staff to debrief a little.  It was a very good time.  We talked about community, about what we are learning, and how well the Argentine staff is doing.  Andres and Esteban came and sat among us to just listen.  It was great to have them sit with us.  My staff seem to be getting it here in big ways.  I am so proud of them.  After we talked, we went swimming!  Jose and Andres were in the pool wanting us to join.  We all jumped in in different ways and did a follow the leader game.  All the guys showed off for the girls.  One think remains the same globally - guys love showing off for girls.  Swimming was a ton of fun.

We ate dinner together and talked.  I had a long conversation with Esteban, Andres and Emi about learning the different dialects of Argentina Spanish.  For example: “yo” is “cho” and “tu” is “vos”  And then we had an even longer convo trying to figure out what we were saying to each other, and we came to find out that all Emi was telling me was that Andres studies economics.  It is funny how hard it is to even communicate small things because of the language misunderstandings.

Played a little American Football with Neal, John, Kyle and Jose.  I threw the ball literally into the branches in front of me once.  Hilarious.  I talked to Brooke on the phone, that was good.  Soon after, I talked with a few guys to get to know them better - Tanner, Jose, Esteban and Andres in the hall.  I am glad to be here.  Goodnight.

At 7am, John, Neal and I were awoken by the sound of the Bluffs guys getting around.  The room has many echos and the poor guys had to get up really early to go to town for the day.  I know that they were not trying to wake us, but it is hard to have a positive attitude when your comforts are taken so far away, and one added thing can push you over the edge.  But the other guys remind me in small ways:  “No se trada de me”  It is NOT about me.  Amen.  Just take this one day at a time.  It is a great joy, but very difficult.  Also, I forgot to mention, that last night when I had to move out of the cabin, I totally left my sheet on the little mattress back in the cabin.  It was hilarious, because when everyone was shuffling mattresses last night, I saw Luis carrying it and I thought, “is that my sheet?”  And then later I realized that it was.  Luckily Neal has an extra one that I am borrowing.

We will see how the day goes.  (It is our first full day with campers)  It is 8am now.  I hope my staff is doing OK.  I can’t imagine how sleeping in the cabins went over with over 15 people in each.

Breakfast went well.  Laura and some staff are already very tired.  Muy cansado.  Neal played the Leeland song “Sound of Melodies” for our intro into breakfast that we used at the Shores in 2008 for our closing highlight video.  I cried as I high five-ed counselors and children.  One of the lines is “we who are called to be your people, struggling sinners and thieves”.  Good stuff.  This was a great reminder of what we are doing here.

We went from breakfast to outside.  But before we all left, the Argentine counselors went to go practice their drama.  It is a good thing for them to prepare, and it definitely stretches my staff to be with the kids for a few minutes without being able to communicate with them.  We gathered in the grass and Agu played the guitar and led the children in songs. She does a great job!  The Argentine counselors then came to perform their drama.  It was good.  IT was of Jesus healing and feeding many.  The kids seemed to really like it, especially since their counselors were the actors.  Then they went to bible study.

Meanwhile, Bessy, Agu, Laura and I met to discuss the day.  Bessy enjoys knowing what is going on.  I don’t blame her.  We want to plan, but we don’t usually know what they will need from us or what they want for their campers and counselors.  We put our heads together and decided on a schedule.

8:30 Desay Uno / Breakfast

9 Alabanza / Praise time and Bible study

10:30 Jeugos / Games

11:30 Merienda / Snack

12 Jeugos / Games

1 Almuerza / Lunch

2 Siesta / FOB

3 Busquedo del Tesoro / Treasure Hunt

5 Merienda / Snack

530 Alabanza / Club, Speaker, Worship

730 Bano / Shower time

9 Cena / Dinner

10 Alabaza / Praise time

1030 Circlo de Amigos / Circle of friends

11 Dormir / Sleep

……

We then gathered everyone together and I led them with Hannah in a song.  We winged it.  Then we split everyone into groups for games.  I thought the games went well.  Then we had snack and danced on the field.  Muy divertido.  It was very fun.  I try so hard to speak the language, that my brain is mixed up.  I am starting to want to write certain words in spanish and not english.  Even we as a staff are starting to speak to each other in spanish.

We then had free time.  I had a great conversation with Mariana.  Its interesting because about 4-5 of the Argentine girls know english but the boys do not.  It is also fun to try to talk with the children.  They are so sweet.  One boy, Matthew (Mattias) finds me all the time and just stands next to me.  No reason.  He does it with many of the American staff. He is the sweetest kid I have encountered here by far.  (There is a picture of us together above.)

I taught boom snap clap to some of the Argentine counselors.  Some picked it up, and others not so much.  Ali and Jony picked it up.  Then I learned “Pallo, Pallo, Pallo”, I fun song that they like to do.  I ran to find many to show them my new skill and they seemed happy and pleased.  Then we had lunch, which went very well.

One of the hard things here is that we have to be workcrew.  Serving, setting up, and cleaning after are very large tasks for 4-6 of our staff.  It is a little hard on my staff, and I have been explaining the need for a work crew/work crew director at these camps.  I think they understand.  Now time for siesta, but I am writing in my journal, so mine will be about 5 minutes.   I want to remember names:

Andres, Marcos, Esteban, Jony, Jose, Emi, Ali, Juli, Mariana, Elisa, Bessy, Jessy, Agustina, Xenia, Danielle and Sandra…

I find it difficult to hold many things in tension while I am here.  My relationship with Bessy. My relationship with Agustina and the rest of the Argentine staff.  Learning the language.  The campers.  AND, not forgetting about my own staff to check on the and encourage them.  Encouragement is needed for ALL.  I feel very good about where we are today.  I consider a very big success so far. However, if we were not here, there would be some gaps:

1. More program support for Agustina.  (She is owning this, but needs help)

2. Work crew/work crew director is needed.

3. Not allow families and guests to come to camp because it takes up room and interferes with programs.

4. General planning and capacity issues.

But, here is what I see going so well:

1. The HEART here!!  They all know the mission and are living “no se trada de mi”.

2. Praise and worship is going so well!

3. Dramas

4. Agustina!  She is leading this in such a great way.  She in incredible at this.  I think she is a gentle Lion and Otter combo.

5. Relationships are all being kept in good tension.

……

This afternoon was great.  We did games and then the treasure hunt which was a huge hit.  We hid the treasure where each group started, so that when they finally found it, they would learn that the treasure is God and He is/was always right where you started, no matter which direction you go.  After, we sat for a few.  I reminded my staff that they are doing a great job and then talked with Agustina.  I discovered that she like Norah Jones and Coldplay.  Her dad is a bee keeper (sweet!) and she has a younger brother and sister.  We then had snack, and I sat with Hunter, Marianna and Ali’s cabin.  Ali and Mariana know English fairly well.  I asked many questions and traded answers.  I discovered that many of the boys do not know English because they are too lazy in school to learn it.  The girls laughed and called them “burros”.  Haha

We has a great worship session this afternoon.  Danielle spoke to the kids and about 20-30 children came up to accept Christ.  It was hard to tell how sincere it all was, but hey that rocks!  We all then got in the middle of the group while Danielle prayed for everyone.  Some of my staff were very touched and affected.  Afterword, we circled up to have a quick word, and I shared my heart with them.  There were many tears.  I reminded them to not shrink back, but to keep encouraging our Argentine friends with our presence and attitudes.

We then gathered on the grass and did all the cabin cheers.  We then as a Shores staff got up and did some cheers from camp.  It was so fun.  The kids LOVED it.  We did boom snap, man and woman cheers.  Then we had relational time until dinner.  I drank matte with Neal, Bessy and Agustina.  We then sat at the computer and looked at maps of where everyone was from.  It was fun to see where many of the Argentine staff where from. It was also eye-opening, as many are from Cordoba, which is about as far from Buenos Aires as Wichita is from Tyler.  Crazy.

Dinner was good.  Then we sat outside in the dark while Agustina led teh ninos in some quiteing down.  Listening to creation, singing softly, ect.

I talked and laughed with some of my staff and then got around for bed.  Had a warm shower for the first time thanks to Marcos for helping me with the knob.  Not bad at all.  I am grateful for this place.  I am grateful for the friendships that are forming with my own staff and with this great new family from Argentina.

Argentina Pictures, Day 3

I woke up to a cool breeze and wild dogs barking.  Already looking forward to resting again.  I opened my sleeping bag and used it as a blanket.  When I couldn’t sleep anymore, I got up, organized my things and then took a short walk around camp.

I remember the little things from yesterday:

-The embraces to make us family, not strangers who know each others names.

- Bessy telling us that us being here is a dream come true.

-The excitement of all (including us) for a banana after our lunch yesterday.

- Having to be quiet and listen.

- Seeing my staff eat this up!

It is very cool this morning.  It will be nice if it lasts.

…

We ate breakfast, and then I taught everyone some cheers.  It was more funny than productive.  We then dismissed to have the counselors and staff clean up the cabins while I sat down with Agu and Bessy.

While we were meeting, the children arrived early!!! Crazy!  Loco!  We just made it work.  It was great!  I remember huddling everyone up and just saying “lets go with it”.. and then we cheered “no se trata de mi”. (its not about me) All the kids were so excited and we greeted many with cheeks and kisses.  Agu then circled them up and I handed her the megaphone.  It was a sweet moment of being able to serve.  It is encouraging to work with her.  She is passionate about camp and kids.  Bessy has selected her to be the role of program director and so I feel as though I need to teach her as much as I can but with the sensitivity of allowing them to make decisions that fit better in their culture.

We then moved to the inside of camp for the greeting and camper cabin assignments.  Each one of my counselors was paired with an Argentine counselor and they got in the middle while Agu shouted each name of the camper in their cabin.  It was beyond a joy to see each greeting and embrace take place!  It was good. We then moved to snack, get to know you time, and move in.

Lunch was stressful later.  At least 30 minutes late.  We are still working on kitchen and cook relationships.  At least Bessy is.  She is doing so well managing multiple relationships.  We also found that for our first meal, we didn’t have enough plates or silverware.  While trying to work out a solution, they discovered a cupboard with more!  Whew!!

Laura and I’s first trip to town…

Bessy said that we could go buy something extra for our staff for breakfast because what they were getting was not enough.  Bread is the dominator of all the meals, and it is good, but it is just not enough to sustain my team for the whole morning of camp.  So we left, and ended up driving for over an hour to our destination.  Bessy’s fiance, Tito, took us in the cab.  He is a crazy driver and only twice was I scared, which is saying something, because I never get scared in the car.  Laura was freaked out the whole time.. Haha.. Trying to remember the details:  Boxes on poles to hold trash off the ground.  Small cars.  Lots of car shops and mechanics.  Very poor and dirty.  Graphiti on nearly every wall and building.  Lots of bikes.  I did see a blockbuster in a nicer area, weird.

We ended up at a parking garage with animal labels on each row.  Instead of colors or letters, they use animals.  I like it.  Easy to remember that we are on the “jaguar” row.  Rode an escalator with no steps on an incline.  We arrived at a mall/type of place with a huge supermarket/walmart type of place in it.  I think we are coming back here Sunday. It was funny because here Laura and I are in this place with no idea.  I got busted for taking a picture.  It felt weird to be “the guy” who doesn’t speak the language.  I was happy because after the supermarket, I bought a coke from a convenience store and I don’t think she knew I was from the U.S.  Nice..

We arrived back and they were kind of freaked out without us.  (because it took us way longer than we thought it would…) But, they were already doing worship!  Praise the Lord!  If we didn’t have Agu, I don’t know what we would have done.  We Quickly threw together the Moses skit and did it with translation.  Although crazy, the kids seemed to love it.  While they reflected, we had a great talk with Bessy and then I talked with her for awhile to understand more and build the relationship.

She goes all over the place.  Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay… Events all year.  She really wants Laura and I to return next year for consistency.  SHe selected the group of Chicos that came to CCI training.  (Meanwhile, I shared matte with Marcos.)  It was good to understand more of the big picture here.

I then met up with some of my staff to ask them questions and make sure they were good.  I reminded them to just keep encouraging.   “Buen trabajo” meaning good job, keeps coming up.  I hope that Agu and the others feel encouraged by us and have confidence.  There are still some small details that need to be passed on, but they are doing an amazing job!  And my staff is rocking it out with a phenomenal job so far!

8:50pm - About to eat Dinner

Dinner was good.  Tanner was carrying a boy in and they were dancing and making this sign with their hands.  It was the rock on/I love you type of thing.  I joined them, and quickly, Agu came over and told me that it was a symbol of a bad thing in Argentina.  I felt bad but was thankful that Agu was comfortable telling me things like this.  I realized we probably needed a meeting to make sure that my staff don’t try so hard to connect with the kids, that they accidentally lead them astray.  I told Agu that it would be good to have a meeting with Bessy to figure out the best way to prevent this would be.  We had a great talk, we had all the children go into the gym with my counselors and Agu, while Bessy went and met in a huddle with the Argentine counselors.  I went up to join them, but since they were in a huddle, it didn’t seem like they reacted so well.  I tried to make a joke out of it by walking away, but they said “no!”  I was relieved.  It was awkward because I was to be a part of them and to encourage them with what they are doing, but sometimes I don’t quite know how.  I was able to tell Bessy to tell them that I was proud of all of them and their efforts and that they were doing a great job.  They seemed encouraged.  Yes!

After dinner, the mattress situation became crazy.  Actually, crazy doesn’t describe this.  Agu led the children in a circle quiet song time and then they went to their cabins to reflect on the day.  It was difficult becauyse so many are also sleeping in cabins as well, so bedtime is crazy.  We have zero staff cabin areas.  So its either sleep on the floor in a cabin, or in the dining hall or our floor.  To add to the stress, apparently we have 15-20 more people staying with us.  So they re-arranged the dining hall for the women to sleep on one side, and the men on the other.  Neal, John and I slept across the way in another room with the bluffs guys.  The funny thing is that, like the dining hall, it is surrounded with windows.  That have to be open to keep us somewhat cool.  To make the night better, I was able to get a hot shower, but it was so hot that I couldn’t stand under it.  Oh the extremes.  :)  Story of my life.  We went down around 11:30.  As usual for me, it was difficult to sleep.  Not too hot, but many snores and wild dogs barking.  And I have trouble falling to sleep anyways in general.  Wow, this is only the 2nd day…

We are still on the plane.  I had about 4-5 sleeps for about 45min each or so.  Feeling very busted.  We landed about 9:30am local time.  We springed 3 hours ahead because of the time difference.  Customs took a very long time.  We also had to pay a surprise 131.00 tax for each person to gain access to the country.  Ouch.  I put many pesos on my credit card.  :)  I crossed my fingers when they swiped it hoping it would be excepted.  Luckily it was.  We met up with the Bluffs and finally made it out of the baggage claim.  It had taken about an hour and a half to get through customs.  We then exchanged our dollars to pesos.  (We later found out that you get better exchange rates outside of the airport security, oh well)

Bessi and Jessi were waiting for us outside and we were greeted by the usual embrace and cheek touch with the sound of a kiss.  We had to work out details immediately for money, which led us to need to exchange more currency.  Meanwhile, Laura got us some fries from a nearby McDonald’s in the airport.  Funny that the first thing I ate was American.  Also, Hannah had already helped us immensely with translation.  What an incredible blessing.  Laura knows a lot of Spanish, and I know a little, but nothing compared to having Hannah there to speak with us.  (Not sure what we would have done without her.)

We walked outside and were greeted by much warmer, thicker air than we had left in Dallas.  It is Summer here.  And it is hot.  It is not quite as hot as Tyler, in Summer, but I am sure it will be in the next months here.  It seems like our May/June here.

The bus filled with our soon to be Argentine team was pulling into the area to pick us up right away, and many of the Chicos were waving and smiling.  Luis, Jessi’s husband and Robert Bruneau’s brother, jumped out to greet us.  We said hello and loaded up.  The excitement and joy of the Chicos was inspiring.  They broke into song and we traded songs back and forth.  One group would sing, while the other group would listen, wide eyed.  Laura and I sate up front with Bessi, Luis and Jessi.  We talked about many things.  It was a good time to listen, try to speak Spanish and understand.  It was hot on the bus and I quickly realized that from this point on, we will probably not have ac, so get used to it!  We sweated on the bus and prepped for a sticky 10 days.  (I was glad that I had changed into my chacos at the airport)  About and hour and a half later, we arrived at the camp.  The sites on the way looked like very poor areas with an obvious lack of infrastructure.  Giant gates opened at the end of a street to welcome us into the walled camp.

We arrived into camp.  We quickly made our way to lunch.  It seems that food and rest are very important here.  Sounds good to me!  I sat next to Luis’ daughter Pamala (who doesn’t quite know what to do with me yet) and 2 Chicas, Ale and Juli.  They were very sweet as we pieced together our languages to attempt conversation.  They were very kind to me and bore with my attempts to speak Spanish.  Laura helps translate as needed, praise God!

We ate, and then were introduced to the pastor and his wife who were bringing the first round of children for camp tomorrow.  They said hello, and then everyone broke for siesta, while Laura, Chris, Bessi, other leaders and I stayed to work out details.

Everything went rather good, except there were many new surprises and problems to tackle.  It seemed that whenever we would solve one thing, something else would come up.  We discussed: Meals(Dinner at 9pm!). Opening/Closing. Schedules. Bible Study. Worship. Cabin Assignments. Numbers. Ect.

And then we discovered that the camp was without power.  And that there were not enough beds for everyone to sleep.  Chris went to nap because he was not feeling well.  The rest of us (Laura, Bessi, Agu and I) went to solve the bed problem.  I quickly drew a diagram of the cabins and found that we would have to have mattresses on many of the floors in most rooms.  We are hoping that after the kids come tomorrow that we will have enough room for everyone.  This was a stressful, but a great opportunity to work together calmly.

I mentioned Agu.  We met Agustina earlier as one of Bessi’s leaders in training.  She had been promoted to be the “program director” of the 2 camp sessions.  She is 19 years old, yet looks and acts much older.  Her English is very good.  Hopefully, we can get to know her and teach her anything she would like to know.  At one point, we had to remind our girls to “mix it up” with the Chicas.  I find it is easy to stick with your own culture in this environment.  But we have little time, and each minute is precious to get to know these great people.  My girls responded so well, and in no-time they were hanging out with everyone.

We met at 5 and let Bessi speak to us about how she wished we could have been in communication throughout the year.  It seems that the current way things are in South America are not quite where they need to be (which makes sense because of how far it is and how early the development is).  Since I don’t have a lot of experience with this, I am learning as well.

We gathered up on the grassy area and started orientation.  Although I was so tired by this point, it was one of the sweetest moments of my life.  Chris and I taught while Hannah translated.  I couldn’t help but smile most of the time because of how amazing it was to sit and talk through these things in a foreign land with new friends that I could barely communicate with yet.  We did some team-building, and talked about our philosophy, our mission and why we are here.  Meanwhile the sun was setting and the breeze was stopping.  We finished with cabin assignments, and did the best we could to make it PC style.  But one goal this whole time is to not just be like PC, but to allow them to but their own cultural style that is in line with the right philosophy.

The counselors moved into their cabins and spent time together, and then we came together for snack, not dinner!

Soon after, as Bessi, Chris and I were meeting, teh Chicos were outside teaching our staff many dances.  We quickly joined them outside and it started to rain.  Neal went and got his iPod and we taught them the Soldiers dance from the Shores.  The learned quickly.  It was a very special moment.  Already, the barriers were falling and outside in the rain, instead of words, music, dancing and laughter united us.  After that, we played soccer (futbol) in the gym.  We played with an oversize bouncy tennis ball, which made it very tricky, but way fun.

Finally, I attempted to shower at 9:30pm but could barely because it was so cold.  They bathroom I was in was harsh, but not a big deal.  Spiders are almost welcome to join on the wall as long as they rob a mosquito or two from the air.

Then, it was dinner time at 10pm!  They eat very late here.  The chicos wanted to serve us and it was very special and kind.

Finally, goodnight around 12. It was hard to sleep that first night.  So tired yet couldn’t sleep.  After a long night of flying and then a FULL day, it was weird to lay in my bed and sleep.  Neal and I shared a small room in the boys cabin. (little did I know this was the only night I would sleep on a bunk)  No blankets.  Just listen to the sounds of wild dogs, crickets and try not to sweat.

All in all, although we could make things better for all of us with better planning and communication, we are just fine.  I am anxious to see how this will unfold with campers.  It is not easy, the conditions are different and therefor difficult and the language is touch to break through.   I miss Brooke.

But I am glad to he here!  It is refreshing to break from American culture.  The people so far are beyond easy to love.  They Argentine guys and girls who are helping are joyful, gentle, patient and kind.  I have lots to learn from them.