The other Uruguay & the Conference

After a week of exhausting travels, the new week started with full speed and there was hardly any time to recover, as daily university and being a good boyfriend life retook their habitual place here in Montevideo. During the time in Argentina I must admit that I really missed this place, although it has been only some 6 weeks,since I came here, but I have been received with open arms and I really like it and it feels like my new home.

Marconi - A "red zone" district of Montevideo

This week I would like to tell you a little bit more about the other Montevideo, that most of the extranjeros never get to know, the Montevideo, that does not appear on postcards, but the one that is either neglected, rejected or abandoned and that mainly appears in the crime, poverty and violence statistics of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. I had the chance to go there and see it because of my new class, that just started this week: servicio comunitario or Community Service.

The school/institution we are working with

Prior to the commencement of this class, we have already been interviewed and asked regarding our previous service experiences, preferences, strengths and what we would be able to contribute, in order to divide us up into different groups and to assign specific projects to us. After the first introductory meeting with our professor, she took us on a bus ride to an area of Montevideo called Marconi, in order to meet our partner association Obra Banneux, which is a benevolent association that is depending on private donation and funding,to help children in poverty and violence prone regions to get a decent education and an actual chance in society.

Ths students doing their dishes after lunch

 

We were introduced to the local headmaster, a very nice Spanish lady, and were told about mission and expectations and we got to meet the adorable children. In my group of 5 I am with 4 girls from England, France and the States and we are going to work with children of 7 and 8 years of age (reminds me of my primary assignment) and we are going to teach them English in a playfull and easy manner! I am so excited and that´s gonna be great fun!!! But I will tell you a little bit more about them next week, after we had the first actual lesson with them =)

Housing in Marconi

Meanwhile I must say that this barrio (ghetto) reminds me quite heavily of the poorer areas on Mauritius and the richer areas of Madagascar, where I served my mission, and everytime I am confronted with such poverty it makes me realize how blessed I am, but on the other hand also the associated responsibility to use my blessings to help. It looks very rural, very dirty, children and dogs are playing in the streets or in front of corrugated iron shacks, whichs roofs are prevented from being lifted up by the wind by bags of dirt, and horses in the front yards. Houses are run-down and the people living there (with the exception of the chidren) did not really make a happy impression. All too often we don't even realize what we have and how blessed we are and how many of our fellow brothers and sisters are lacking so much, we should feel this responsibility to help more and actually act upon it, one person is not gonna change the world in one day, but it is a first step and it is worth it!


While we are already talking about helping and serving others, I also want to tell you about another great event that occurred this week, namely the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ. As we believe that God still loves us and speaks to his children, he has called a prophet in order to restore the gospel and the accompanying authority (e.g. to baptize or to receive revelation)in our days to the earth, after both have been lost after the death of the Savior's apostles and the parallel apostasy. Therefore we still have a living prophet on the earth and the same organization that existed during the Savior's ministry, having 12 apostles, and they receive the will of a loving father on our behalf. That's what general conference is about, the mouthpieces of our loving heavenly father helping us to receive the inspiration and uplifting we need in order to live a better more fulfilled life. And I wanted to share the message of our beloved prophet Thomas S. Monson:

General Conference with my Sweetheart

He invited us to enjoy a fulfilled, joyful and happy life through the simple application of 4 principles in our lives (and if all 4 are too much for you, then just start with one, but you will also only enjoy 1/4 of the blessings^^) The first principle he taught was study and search the words of the living Christ (scriptures) and he invited us to do so with dilligence! The second principle, and I must say I haven´t heard that like this before he mentioned, was to plan our lives with purpose, adding to the knowledge about how to life our lives gained through the scriptures a sense of direction, planning and purpose. The third principle and a logic consequence, if we love one another, we will want to share what we have come to know to be useful and true in our life, with the ones we love, as they might also benefit, therefore teach with testimony. And the fourth principle helping us to have a more happy and fulfilled life is to serve with love.

http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

I would like to invite all of you to try this in your life and see how and if it works, as Jesus already taught, that you shall know a prophet by his fruits . . . I can tell you that these kind of counsels that I applied in my life worked and they made me what I am today, and if you want to listen to some of the talks or know more feel free to check the link above:

A package from Germany!!!!

The last event of this week also was a pure expression of love, as my most awesome mother (ofc in collaboration with my beloved family) sent me a true German package with Leckereien und Sweets from Germany, that should bring me through the cold and rainy winter here in Montevideo!!!
So be safe all of you, thanks for reading and caring and I wish you all a great week, may the force be with you and see you in a week with a new adventure from the Wayfarer . . .

The aforementioned cold and rainy winter in Montevideo :P