So many posts

I have just noticed, that we have added so many posts today that you may need to look at the older posts to see them all!

Well that's about it...

We then travelled back to Buenos Aires, and spent 2 days getting ready for our return. We met with Evangelina Suarez who works at the Bishop's office and put together so many of the details for our visit. Thank-you!

We also picked up a few things to bring back with us like some Yerba Mate which is a traditional drink in Argentina for more info visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)

We also picked up some Dulce de Leche which is a sweet spread that we had in so many sweet treats.

All of these things we'll share with people across Cumbria District as we invite churches in the district to think about our developing youth link!

The trip was a great experience and the blog doesn't finish here, in fact in many ways it is the starting point. We now look to the future thinking about how we develop the link even further...a possible future visit by young people and also how to get people from across both regions to get involved.

We will also add some more reflections on the visit as there are key themes that we can think about in the future.

We didn't get too many pictures during our trip to Bahia Blanca, but this is a church in one of the local neighbourhoods. Inside the church it looked very much like a traditional methodist chapel, we hope to upload some more pictures later. You will see the flattened basketball, unfortunately I did that when the ball hit a sharp bit of metal, so a replacement is going to be on its way!

There is a picture of a small library that is within the church along with a couple of typewriters



We also spent time in and arournd Bahia Blanca, exploring the sights (including british houses, cobblestone roads, railways and ports).

Thanks to Marina who organised us so well! And to everyone else who provided transport, food, accomodation and were really welcoming during our time in BB

Building the link (Carl)

On our Sunday afternoon in Bariloche, we were challenged to think about how we keep the link going between Cumbria and Patagonia between visits. For all those who have been reading the blog, we would love to hear how you think we can build links between the children and young people in Cumbria and Patagonia.

We were asked to think about ways to share resources, possibly work on common projects together and generally improve communication (across the language barrier) between both countries.

So if you have anything to input, please get in touch and post a comment

Church at Bariloche (Carl)

On Sunday the 18th, we joined the congregation at Bariloche for their morning service. Worshipping in Spanish takes a lot of effort, with occasional questions to Rachel about the meanings of soon of the words. I managed to get enough of a vocabulary to basically follow the sermons, but it takes a lot of concentration. The service was about 2 hours, with communion at the end.

We were invited to go out in the afternoon and we spent some time travelling around the lakes and seeing some amazing sights. We also discovered just how strong the wind can get as it comes off the lake, whipping up dust storms and vapour from the lake.

We drove through the 'Swiss Settlement' which reminded us of the different cultural heritages across Patagonia.

Bariloche Lakes

Overlooking the lakes at Bariloche

Chocolates and sweets (dulces) in Bariloche

Images of Bariloche

Some images from around Bariloche

Bariloche (Carl)

So after an over night bus journey from Trelew, we arrived last Saturday (17th) morning in Bariloche.

We were in the Lake District. As we drove into Bariloche, the view was beautiful. This town is a ski town in the winter and an outdoor adventure area in the summer. With fantastic chocolate shops, it was a mix of cultures from Germany, Switzerland and surrounding countries...

We were taken to our hotel which was a lovely place run by a lady who took good care of us (Rachel was feeling ill that day). Thank you to Suzie who helped us get a bit of medical help!

We explored the area and in the evening went to an Asado at the church (a bbq). It was great, because we had an open hearth in the church building and we sat indoors around the table sharing in a meal.

Trelew

Here are some pictures from Trelew. The building is the old railway station that is now a museum.

Patagonia has an abundance of fossils and dinosaurs, the pictures are from a local museum that also presented some of the most recent discoveries.

At the end of our time in Chubut family we were so thankful for everyone who made us feel so welcome during our time there

Churches in the Chubut Valley (Carl)

We spent an afternoon travelling through different parts of the valley visiting the local churches below is a picture of one of the methodist churches and also an Anglican church...I am trying to ring the church bell in the picture on the right

Playing catch up

Unfortunately we have been so busy that we haven't been able to keep up with all that's been happening while we were in Argentina - with so much to write about and difficulty getting wireless until the last couple of days we haven't been able to keep this space updated.

But we are going to keep on documenting all that happened so you can share in all that went on

We have just got back in the UK and will be publishing our posts over the next few days

Gaiman pt 2 and Puerto Madryn

Of course we had to have Welsh Tea in a welsh tea shop!

We visited the church at Puerto Madryn for an evening meal which rounded up with some dancing.
It was great to meet up again with some of the folks from the camp - the empanadas were great! We spent some time just sharing our stories from both sides of the Atlantic

Gaiman Part 1 (Rachel)

Here's some more photos of the camp and also the start of our pictures while staying in Gaiman after the camp

Gaiman is a town that was founded by Welsh settlers in the 1800s. It still holds strongly to its heritage and many people there are bilingual in Spanish and Welsh. We spent four days there.

Camp Part 2 and beyond (Carl)

Hi all,

Rachel will write down her thoughts from camp a little later.

So camp was really good. When we arrived, things were a little hectic and we had some last minute arrangements for finding where Rachel was going to sleep. But we all managed to find a place to lay our head in the evening. The camp was at a community centre in Gaiman, which is a Welsh settlement in the Chubut valley. It was a beautiful place and the weather was warm, but with strong winds during certain times of the day.

Each day started at 7am with a team meeting and discussions went on about the camp and the day to come. We then all said good morning to each other and giving a hug or kiss on the cheek - there were quite a number of people in the the team, so this took some time.

We then got the young people up with load noises and got them ready for breakfast (often bread, jam and really sweet tea). The young people then got into the Bible study groups and met for an hour and a half. These groups got into the topic of Christians and the environment and those who wanted to got really passionate about the topic. It was interesting to notice that the young people who weren't really into it, didn't distract but sat quietly in the group.

Then there was the celebration, with songs, prayers and a message from the Bible. It was a really lively time and it was great to be part.

Then lunch, going into free-time. After the free time there were different workshops at 4pm (drama, crafts, dance). Afternoon tea led into 'recreation' which were sports with an underlying message or theme.

Of course then there was the need for showers before getting into the Sunset service and there was often the opportunity for some sort of response from the young people.

That led into the Fogon (sin Fuego) which means campfire (without the fire). It was a daily talent night, and I even got invited up to take part playing guitar and even walking the 'catwalk'.

Bed was around 1am (the latest I got to bed was 2:30am) and ready to be at the meeting for 7am next day.


We'll put up some pictures from the camp and hopefully you'll get to put images to the story...

We will follow up later with what has happened since camp as we now have unlimited internet at our hotel in Bariloche, so watch this space

After the camp part 1 (Carl)

We have just got back to internet access and I will only be able to post a short blog about the camp (hence the part 1 bit). We are having to book a hotel, answer emails and arrange transport all in a short bit of time...we will post more next time we get access. So in shorthand this is the camp

Overall: Really good, lively, got to know the young people and adults. Lots of activities, very hot

Us: Rachel got a throat infection and had to see the doctor, I got a throat infection later and am now on antibiotics

Language: Shakey at times, when Rachel was ill I had to fend for myself and try to communicate. Some english speakers helped out. Rachel has struggled with accents, very different from the Spanish she has learnt...By the end of the week, I communicated in Spanglish and Rachel was holding many conversations with young people

Activities: Celebrations (services), Bible studies, sports, workshops, sleeping(!) and you guessed it, late nights...lots of dancing

That´s it for now, watch this space as we will try and post some pictures...

Oh and yes, I do have a tan...

God bless and thanks for your prayers

Carl & Rachel

Late nights, church and river deltas (Carl)

We've decided to put the name of who is writing the post in our title as it can get confusing as Rachel and I both write different messages.

Last night's evening meal lasted until 3am and so getting up for church this morning was a challenge! We succeeded in being ready for 9:20am and were picked up from the hotel by Eduardo who is a member of the church in Martinez. His wife Betty was already at the church as she led the worship on the piano this morning.

It was a really friendly church and Rachel understood a lot more of the Spanish service than I did. But it was great to feel God's Spirit that unites His whole church, especially around the communion table. Our hosts Eduardo and Betty recognised that our late night had left us a bit tired and they were really helpful. We went out for a meal alongside the river in a renovated train station (which was built by the British and so was really familiar)

We then headed north to the river delta and walked around a river and island system full of families gathered on a Sunday afternoon, sitting under trees, sunbathing, fishing and enjoying the weather. We visited the art gallery and took advantage of the air conditioning!

Getting back to the hotel early we're playing catch up and taking a bit of time to rest before we meet with Bishop Nelly tomorrow...

Photos around Tigre, the river delta in northern Buenos Aires

Videos and pictures

Just to let you know, our internet connection isn't fast enough to post lots of videos and pictures. We will try and post some soon, so watch this space...

Sunday morning in Buenos Aires

The last couple days have been a whirlwind of activity. The churches have supplied us with someone different every day to come and take us to visit a part of the city- so we’ve managed to see most of the city, which is quite a feat.

Buenos Aires is full of beautiful buildings and friendly people. Parks and public areas are bustling with families spending time together. Having dinner with our hosts has been a cultural experience in itself. For starters, people tend to eat at 8 or 9 pm, and finish at 3 am! This time of year, it’s still light out till very late and people make the most of it. A meal over here generally includes several courses and is treated as a chance to spend time in discussion and savour good company. We’ve noticed a few subtle cultural differences at meals. For example, we suspect that finishing your food or drink is a sign that you would like more, and often people will fill up your glass if you finish what’s in it or encourage you to have more. Also and we noticed that it’s not impolite to leave a little behind food or drink behind- which makes a contrast to the British tradition of finishing everything on your plate!

Breakfast this morning consisted of toast with cheese spread(!) and jam, a selection of cakes, and gooooood coffee. I(Rachel) was in pastry heaven, but Carl’s missing meet in his breakfast. Today we visit a church service in the suburbs (in Spanish) and we will be taken to the river delta. Off for another adventure!

We have arrived

We are just about to have a nap having arrived at our hotel in Buenos Aires. Our flight from Washington D.C. to Buenos Aires had 100 seats not filled, so we got a central row to share and have a good sleep on the way down (it was an 11 and a half hour flight!).

Health - not too bad
Weather - a nice 25 degrees celsius
Language - Carl needs more study
People - all been friendly so far

Coming through customs and immigration was a breeze in comparison to the marathon at Washington Dulles - imagine what it will be like given that we are flying back through D.C. on inaugaration weekend!