chris jarvis – young adult in global

8/14/2019 Chris Jarvis – Young Adult in Global

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Chris Jarvis – Young Adult in Global Mission Buenos Aires, Argentina

This Argentine Life Stories and reflections from a

year of accompaniment andadventure in one of South

America’s largest cities

February 2010

This month:

RETREAT!

February is the last month of summer vacation in Argentina. During

the first half of the month, I spent a lot of time at the central church

office — taking advantage of the Wi-Fi (and the air conditioning!) to

work on an English-language blog for the church.

Then, near the end of the month, it was time for not one, but two!

retreats. The first was with my fellow YAGM volunteers and country

coordinators at a campsite about 400 km south of Buenos Aires

(check out pages 3-4); the second was at a nearby retreat center with

members of my local church congregation (see pictures on page 2).

Keeping in touch

Chris Jarvis [email protected]

Chacabuco 1449 skype: christopher.r.jarvis

1615 Grand Bourg phone: 011-54-911-3054-6056

Provincia Buenos Aires

ARGENTINA http://chrisjarvis-yagm-argentina.blogspot.com/

A time for reflection Both of our retreats in February were

opportunities for individual and group

reflection. We could look inward at

ourselves and our communities,

evaluating our commitments and

seek ing new ways to engage with God

and serve the people around us.

We closed our YAGM retreat by

washing each others’ feet as a reminder

of how Jesus served his followers and

how we are called to do the same.

In this picture, members of the San

Lucas congregation are discussing how

we can better serve our community.




Sitting in a circle, sharing our faith stories After taking this picture, I schooled everyone in soccer. Nope

Joaquín and Rubén, two very talented young musicians Serving each other communion in our sending celebration

Getting our hands dirty with mass quantities of pizza dough Me being rather helpful with the onions, I must say




Venturing downriver to reflect on our journey so far,having to lean on each other more than once for support

Our brave group of hikers on our way back down from themountain. The sign says, “The descent is DANGEROUS; move

slowly and in a zig-zagging motion.” We had fun with that.

Taking down what was left of our tents after their tenacious

battle with the unrelenting mountain winds.

At this point, we didn’t know Rachel was still in there

Fortunately, the campsite also had a shelter with enough bunk

beds for everyone, including Emily and Matthew — Kate and

David’s incredibly fun children

Sierra la Ventana At the end of Februar y my fellow volunteers and I ventured south to Sierra la Ventana, about eight hours south of Buenos

Aires. We left in the middle of a downpour, and at one point I removed my shoes to wade barefoot through the flooded

downtown streets. But despite the complications our bus left on time, and when we got to the little town the next morning, Kate

(our country coordinator) was there waiting for us. She took us to our campsite, where she and her husband David had already

begun to set things up. Kate and David had been in the United States on home assignment since early December, and it was

great to see them again and catch up over a good cup of David’s camp coffee. For the next few days, we enjoyed the challengesof nature, the beauty of the English language and — especially — the good company.




On Sunday morning, we set off

on a day hike up a smallmountain near our campsite.

Aside from being a great time(and a good workout!), the

climb served as a metaphorical

halfway point for our year in

South America. As we made our

ascent, I thought of how our first

few months here had indeed

often seemed like an uphill

struggle — following a rocky,

sometimes unclear path alongwhich every step required

extraordinary focus and energy,

and moving toward a place thatwe knew would be worthwhile

but that was yet unknown.

Slowly but surely we climbed — helping each other over the

rough patches — until we finally

arrived to behold la Ventana, a

natural rock window that sits at

the top of the mountain and

gives the place its name.

Looking down through the

window, we could see theentirety of the path we had

ascended; the many steps (and

missteps) of our journey finally

made sense once we had

reached our destination. We

could also look out over the

sunflower -drenched plains and

contemplate the vastness of the

world spreading out before us.

From this height — and at this

point in our mission year — the

landscape had a certain peace

about it, and I was bothhumbled and inspired by its

greatness. A few fellow hikers

pointed out that the form of the

window was eerily similar to a

map of Argentina, and the

significance of seeing the world

from an Argentine point of view

was not lost on me.

We didn’t have much time at

the top, however; as clouds

gathered and rain started to fall,

we barely had time to catch our

breath before it was time to

make our way down again. And

if you haven’t had enough

metaphors already, this leg of

the journey was literallydripping with significance!

Although the drizzle made the

way slippery and our stepsunsure, the knowledge and

intuition we had acquired on ourway up nevertheless served us

well on our way back down

Rocks that had once seemed

foreboding now served as

landmarks, and the signs that

had counted up from one to ten

now accompanied us down as

friendly faces along a well-worn

path. Being familiar with the

terrain made it easier to

appreciate the beauty around us

More and more, I can also feethis coming true for my other

‘landscapes’ here in Argentina.

By evening we arrived back a

the same place where we had

started — our campsite — but we

now saw it with new eyes. It was

still our home, but because o

our journey we could better

appreciate its position in relation

to its greater surroundings. I

was

just a day hike, but I hopethat our rapidly approaching

return to the United States will

likewise live up to the words oT.S. Eliot:

With the drawing of this Love and

the voice of this Calling

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our explorin

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

Climbing toward a new window on the world

The Sacred Summit by Max Lucado

You’ve been there. You’ve escaped the sandy foundations of the valle

and ascended his grand outcropping of granite

You’ve turned your back on the noise, and sought his voice

You’ve stepped away from the masses and followed the Maste

as he led you up the winding path to the summit…

Gently your guide invites you to sit on the rock above the tree lin

and look out with him at the ancient peaks that will never erode

“What is necessary is still what is sure,” he confides“Just remember: Truth will still triumph… The victory is yours…

The sacred summit. A place of permanence in a world of transition

— A note on Guidance, from God’s Promises for Yo

chris jarvis – young adult in global

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