Missiones
Each summer the students of Saint George College spend a week or two doing service projects. The projects range from providing a summer camp for local children, building houses, or travelling to impoverished areas for missions. These service trips are all coordinated and carried out by students and alumni of the school; teachers simply serve as extra support when needed. The objective of the summer projects is to give the students a chance to serve in their community and to live out their faith.
Saint George asks the ChACErs to be apart of these projects, and we are able to choose which trip to go on. I chose Missiones because it was incredibly similar to my experience in Ecuador in 2003, where the mission was simply to live in solidarity and build community with the people. On January 2nd, 2010, Megan, Laura, Molly and I awoke at 5:30am with our backpacks ready for Missiones and the six-weeks of travel that followed. We jumped on the bus, leaving 2-hours later than expected, and traveled 15-hours to Osorno, Chile. The bus-ride gave me a forshadowing of the opportunity I would have practicing my Spanish, with a taste at Spanish karoke, and it served as rest for the mission that lay ahead.
Upon arriving in the village, Quilachaquin, the 40-students and teachers split into our perspective groups. For 10-days we would be with our small communities of about 15; living simply and serving the members of the Mapuche tribe, the native Chileans known to this area. When the Spanish conquered Chile, they forced the Mapuche people into quadrants of land in the middle of Chile. There is still tension and legal battles over the division of the land. Many different Mapuche communities make up this region and a few did not want the people of Santiago to come and mission. While there was hesitancy by some, it was matched with a warm embrace by those in the communities in which we served.
My friend Molly, who went on the trip the year before, warned us of the difficulties of Missiones. For 10-days we would sleep in the same room as the students, on the floor, in the freezing cold for about 4 to 6-hours each night. 95% of the conversations would be in Spanish, which meant for 10-days it would be diffiuclt for someone learning Spanish to have a meaningful conversation and could become very lonely. It was also possible that we would be the only teachers with our groups. However, I was so very blessed. While the lack of sleep showed my age, the food was horrendous, and I did indeed sleep next to 16-year-olds; I had the most wonderful group of students and another teacher, Hector, with me. Thankfully the challenges were limited, and the spirit and energy carried us through a fantastic experience!
Each day during Missiones we awoke with breakfast of bread and jam, and every once an awhile the famous "Chocapic" ceareal would make it to the table. We then would spend the next four-hours walking to homes to share the gospel and some coffee; I had to think, never would this be allowed in the States, nor would I ever feel comfortable doing this in the U.S. This service project had teenagers walking from house to house alone and knocking on strangers doors inviting themselves inside for coffee! In the afternoons, we had games and activities planned for the children. Each night we had mass with the community, where sometimes students would celebrate the concecrated Eucharist and give the homily. At the end of the night, there was different dynamicas for the teenagers of the community. We finished with dinner and reflection sometimes as late as midnight. All activities were planned and coordinated by the student leaders. This sense of freedom is common among the activities that serve adolescents in Chile. I wish our culture was able to allow this type of work because the results of this freedom are remarkable.
The sense of freedom was not taken advantage of, and in hindsight I believe it allowed the teenagers to have an extremely mature perspective and sense of leadership in their world. Each day I was humbled by the generosity of these young adults; whether it be in their desire to serve, their patience with my Spanish, or even when the Priest gave them an opportunity to say the homily in the daily mass. It was profound! One day, I asked a former student, "Why do you think so many alumni give up their summer vacations to come on these service trips?" This young man turned to me, and in English said, "For me, I believe it is my personal responsibility."
The two words, personal responsibility, my strike a cord for my Conaty girls that are reading this blog. As every year my essential question for your health class was, "How is my health a personal responsibility?" I was moved and found it so beautiful that this young man, at 19, believes he has a responsibility for service to others, and he learned this while on his Mission trip at the age of 15. Missiones not only serves those less fortunate than ourselves, but I believe the solidarity and rich experience gives an opprotunity for the students to truly own their faith, put their faith in action, and help guide the road in which they travel through life.
Off we go in the back of the truck!
Our first home for 15-people.... and then we moved to the school!
Our home for 10-days
The community church
daily mass
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Colonias: games with the
children
Soccer games every night
Cafe with the neighbors
musicians
The ladies walking to mass
our group
montecito!
Stations of the Cross
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