Salta

The past two and a half days in Salta have been more challenging than many of us expected it would be, but now that the camp is over i am very glad that i am here and that we had the opportunity to come. in essence the camp was a wonderful way to see the ways that other believers view the church and their role in the world. it was definitely a cross-cultural experience and i enjoyed being forced to interact with many different cultures. we talked a lot about the difference between a leader and a facilitator. it was really interesting because their definition of facilitator is our definition of a good leader. but in their cultural context, leader has only negative conotations. their past with incredibly abusive and power hungry leaders along with the tight hand of the catholic church has shaped their conception of leader. in their minds leaders are power hungry people who are oppressive, abusive, and do not listen to the intersts or the needs of the people in the community. therefore , they used the word facilitator to describe the way that people should be interacting with those around them and using their abilities to give a voice and power to others. the camp was also really interesting because it reminded me of the emphasis that many other cultures place on the hope we have in christ. almost all of their songs and messages came back in the end to the hope. we took communion this morning and several of the students and leaders said we do not need to be said or to feel really down and melancholy when we take communion. we need to refelct on our own sins and christ´s work for us, but then to move on and remember that he is alive and gives hope to a dark world. i thought that was so beautiful because often i focus too much on the suffering piece of the gospel that i forget the hope and the celebration we have because of what christ did for his children.

tonight we are going to watch argentina play brasil in the final american cup soccer game. tomorrow we are going to an art market and later to explore more of salta. on tuesday we will be going to a pueblo that is famous for their wine and we will stop to see harry potter. then on wednesday we begin our drive back to buenos aires. it is wierd that i am on the last week. the trip has been fun, but i am also looking forward to coming home. i love you all.