October already!!!!

 I had planned to write about my weekly activities this month but then last Saturday happened and it’s a good insight into life here!

 At 5pm we have the children’s meeting at church. Around 50 kids come every week. They start all sat together singing and praying before they split into age groups. For the last 2 weeks I’ve been with the 7-8 year olds. A lot of the kids spend most of their lives out on the streets playing in the dust, their t-shirts have holes in and their shoes are falling apart but they have the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen! Last week I made friends with Sebastián and Erica. They are cousins and had loads of questions about Britain and how you say different things in English. This week we started by praying and Alejandra who leads the 7-8s asked each child what they wanted prayer for. One girl asked to pray that her teenage brother would stop getting drunk, others have asked for their Dads to return home or parents to get jobs. This week Erica asked that God would provide food for her family as they hadn’t eaten anything all day and her Mum had no more money. We prayed for them and at the end of the meeting shared our usual snack of bread and juice making sure Erica got an extra big helping.

 After the kids meeting we clean up and prepare for the main church service that starts at 8pm. Just after 8pm Sebastián and Erica turned up and came and sat with me-I’m sure they were singing the loudest in the service! Half way through the service Alejandra got Sebastián and Erica out to the front. She shared that during singing worship she had felt really challenged that she had to do something for these kids so she had gone to the corner shop and bought as much as she could and presented two cardboard boxes of food for them to take home. There was not a dry eye in the church-including Erica and Sebastián! I think it’s a great example of what God has called church to do and how in the hardest of situations there’s always room for hope. 

 It reminds me of 2 things, first a missionary in Brazil who was debating the question; Should our aim be to feed the body or the spirit? Her answer; If we just feed the spirit we gain a spirit without a body and if we just feed the body we gain a body without a spirit. One is a ghost, the other is a corpse. 

Secondly James’ words; What good is it, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2.15

 I’m loving being part of a church that is doing both, feeding the body and spirit. It’s hard work sometimes on the front line but there are a lot of great co-workers and a lot of laughter too!

 Thanks again for all your support making it possible for me to be here and the brilliant, encouraging messages. I’m hoping to include some photos in the next instalment!!!

 Keep in touch! Lots of love, Jo xxx

 P.S. Pray-ers;

1. Sebastián, Erica and their families.

2. The Alpha course that started in church last week (they played the Nicky Gumbel Dvd dubbed in Spanish then said all the people look like me!)

3. My Granny who turns 90 on Saturday! Pray for a great day and good health for her and Grandad.

Hola from Argentina !!

 Well after a lot of travelling I am finally in Salta! I moved in with my lovely family yesterday. They are Noemí – the Mum and her 3 children Belén (21), Andrés (19) and Ezekiel (15). We live on the edge of the barrio about 10mins walk from the project.

 Every morning the church runs a guadería (nursery) and feeding programme for local children (about 20) in the tough barrio and on Monday afternoons they also run a programme educating children about looking after themselves and abuse. Today they spoke about the importance of communicating through games and stories and what to do if you are abused. The kids and teachers had lots of examples of abuse that they had experienced themselves or heard about from others. Apparently it is a big problem here   :( There were about 10 kids and you could tell some of them had just walked in from playing on the streets but they were great fun and laughed a lot :) The kids in the guadería were also brilliant-I think it only took 30 seconds before I had one sat on my lap! We ended the day with hopscotch after a good lunch of mashed squash and meatballs!

 It’s a funny week in Salta as the next 3 days there’s a big religious Festival. It means that the kids will be off school and they got a day off today because it is teacher’s day so a lot of them took presents in on Friday and today they all had a day off-great idea!!

 I could go on but I don’t want to bore you with the first Argentine post!

 Just a little note for the pray-ers;

  -Please pray I soon feel settled and get my bearings-it’s crazy not knowing where anything is and having to learn from scratch how to use a washing machine, shower, make a cup of coffee and even wash-up!

  -Pray for the church ‘Casa de Dios’ and the brilliant workers.

  -Pray for Noemí and her children.

Thanks and ¡hasta pronto!

Jo xxxx

20 days to go!!!!

Yes, it is only 20 days until the journey begins!!! I am now back home in the valleys of Wales after spending an incredible week tucked away in Hertfordshire with the other 12 Striders going out to Latin America over the next few months being trained up and prepared for all we are about to encounter-including how to survive car-jacking which we role-played with a real car!! (It's never actually happened in the 20 years of sending people out and as we heard news of the rioting I think the training may be more useful in Britain-crazy times!)

We also went on a trip into London to visit a Latin American church there. The people were really friendly and had prepared loads of food for us to try which was much needed after the marathon 31/2 hour service-it's going to take some time getting used to those!!!

There are 5 of us going to Argentina and 2 lovely ladies, Susie and Martina, will be in the same city as me so hopefully we'll be able to meet up every few weeks. A lot of people ask how I'll manage on my own but I know I'm going to be looked after by a great mentor, placed with a brilliant family, working alongside some amazing volunteers and attending a fantastic church so I just can't wait to meet them all-although I am going to miss the wonderful friends and family I have here-KEEP IN TOUCH!!!


On 28th August Blaenau Gwent Baptist Church will be holding my leaving service followed by a delicious tea and I would love you to come and be part of it. It starts at 6pm in the church and you'll get to hear some more about what I'm going to do, why and how it's all come about. Let me know if you want any more info.

I wish I could end this by saying enjoy the sun. Hmmmm. Have a great day!!

Jo. xxx

I have a date!!!!

Don't get too excited Mum, I mean for leaving!


Yes, the flight is booked, the journey is set and the flight socks are on stand-by! I will be leaving on 4th September travelling to Buenos Aires via Brazil! I think I will be in Buenos Aires for about a week for orientation before travelling up to my project in Salta!


It suddenly seems very real and I'm a mix of excitement and nerves!


Tomorrow I go to Spain for a week leading a school trip of 30 teenagers on a 30 hour bus journey. I think if I can survive that a 12 hour flight will be a doddle! I also told my Tutor Group this week that I will be leaving. Out of 31 only 3 cheered so I think they must like me really! : ) Then today one said 'Miss, are you moving to Wales?' Another replied  'No stupid she's going to Argentina, that's in Spain.'   Oh dear, I'll have to have a long talk with them before I leave!


Huge thanks again and again to all who have been working hard on my behalf to raise money and been so generous in donating. I am now past the £10,000 mark meaning there's just £5,000 to go. Wow!


If anyone is in or near Sheffield on the 9th July please come and join me for goodbye drinks at Poppolo Bar from 8pm onwards. Let me know if you want more details-I'd love to see you there!


More news soon! (I think I've used up my quota of exclamation marks!)


Have a great week.


Jo xx

Newsflash!!!

¡Hola Amigos! Wow, where did that month go?? Great News - I can finally answer one of the burning questions!!!

 On Sunday I skyped with Dany in Argentina and he told me about the great project that I will be part of! So, I will be based in Salta in the Northwest of Argentina in the foothills of the Andes (I seemed destined to ever live in mountainous regions)!! I will be working alongside a group based in an area of the city affected by poverty that provides child care to young children enabling their abandoned or widowed mothers to work and I'll also be supporting the education of 5-12 year olds through homework clubs concentrating on language and maths! The centre supports around 50 different children and provides a meal for them everyday. I'll also be part of the church that meets there consisting of 30 adults and 80 children!!! I'm so excited-if you put Salta into Google images it looks beautiful!!!


 I want to say a huge thank you for your continued support and interest, special thanks to everyone that was part of the Chinese Auction last weekend and others who have given so much! It's good to know what it's all going towards now. There is a slight delay between giving online and me receiving notification so if you do give online please drop me an email or Facebook message so I can make sure you get a big fat Thank You!! My email is joanne_la13@hotmail.com

 Come back soon to hear news of more fund-raising adventures and further developments!


  ¡Hasta pronto!
       
      Jo     xx


Disclaimer; this information was correct at the time of going to press but remember I am going to South America where plans change often, a month before, on the plane as you travel there, on arrival or even a month into the project!!! ; )

FAQ's

Hello! It's about time I updated you on what's happening and answer some of those frequently asked questions (and some you were too polite to ask!).

1. When are you going?
    Sometime in September. It will probably be the date when flights are cheapest!

2. Where are you going?
    I will know within the next month or so. I am fairly certain it will be Argentina but it's possible it may be somewhere else and being South America plans often change at the last minute. So basically it's wherever I end up!

3. What will you be doing?
    One of the desires of Latin Link is to match people, their skills and passions with a need so, as I've grown to love working with children and am now rather good at teaching reluctant British kids to embrace the opportunity of opening their minds, to put in some hard work and learn a whole new language and culture (!!!) I'll likely be working with children, possibly in education or helping a church develop its kids work or the two combined. This will also be clearer within the next month or so.

4. Will you be paid?
    No. Working makes visas complicated and also I'm conscious that I don't just want to move the life I live now to another place-I want to be able to commit fully to a project and give my all to seeing change happen and lives impacted at least for the next 2 years.

5. Why aren't you terrified?
    If I was going on a trip abroad alone depending solely on myself I would be absolutely terrified but right from the start this has been something I am confident is a God thing and it's cheesy but true ''where God guides, He provides''-whether it's somewhere to live, money, friends, joy,...! Over the 2 years it will cost about £15,000 which seems rather a mountain until God steps in! And He has! Literally the week I decided I've got to run with this I got a letter from the Tax Office saying I'd been paying too much tax and a cheque for £3,700! Wow! Then, the day after that a friend that had been visiting gave me £100 saying 'use this to be a blessing to others'-at that time I hadn't even told anyone what I was thinking of doing. Amazing! At the moment I have £5,000 with another £2,000 already promised leaving £8,000 to raise.
    I'm not saying that the night before I leave I will sleep well and be butterfly free. I think I will probably be questioning 'is this really what I want to do?' but I have had so many other crazy but beautiful reassurances that I've got to go for it and be excited and expectant!

6. How can I help?
    I love this question! The messages of support and interest people have shown has been so encouraging so please keep them coming : )

    If you are a pray-er then that always has a huge impact. Pray for the right placement, medical checks to be fine and money to be raised.

    If you are willing and able there are also many ways you can support me financially. You can donate online via the Latin Link website www.latinlink.org.uk just click on 'donate' and you can specify for your donation to go to me (Joanne Williams-Stride), you can make a one-off donation or set up a regular monthly direct debit. I also have forms that can be filled in and sent to Latin Link and I can even email these to you (I am becoming incredibly computer literate!!!).
    Over the next few months I will also be organising a few fundraising events which I will post details of on here so you can get involved!
    A lot of people say 'I can't give very much' but I am literally so humbled by every penny that makes me feel so loved and supported.

    Please, please get in touch if you have any other questions, comments, suggestions.
    Facebook me, email me (joanne_la13@hotmail.com), or grab me!
  
    Thank you wonderful people!

    Enjoy the sunshine!!

    Jo xxx

The Beginning

Hola!

     Thanks for taking the time to visit my brand new Blog Page-never thought I'd be doing one of these! I thought it would be a good way to help me raise support for the big South American Adventure and keep in touch with all you lovely people.

     My journey to South America began in 2002 when I spent my university year abroad with Latin Link volunteering in an orphanage in Peru. I went out there ready to change the world but ended up being changed myself. I realised that the images of poverty we see on tv are actually real life for some and there is a world out there that is in desperate need of so many of the things we take for granted. Most of my time in Peru I felt fairly useless-I'd never even changed a nappy before I went there (!)- but I returned with a resolution to become someone who could make a difference to lives.

     Through trial and error I ended up training to become a language teacher which was just as challenging as spending a year in Peru(!) but seemed the perfect balance of having a good and purposeful career and opportunity to spend the 6 week Summer holidays helping out on a Latin Link project in the continent I had developed a love for- South America. Sorted.

     That was until I spent 4 weeks on a Step project in Argentina. This time I suddenly didn't feel so useless. Becoming a teacher had taught me how to communicate and being a Whizz Kids leader at church had taught me how to make church accesible and exciting for children and I loved every minute of it (although lasting 6 days without a shower after working all day on a building site did stretch the love a little)! I caught a glimpse of what God could do to impact others even through a little life like mine. I began to doubt that 4 weeks a year was really going to be enough and started to ask if longer term may be the next step.

     On returning I soul searched for a while, asked burning questions like, wouldn't it be easier to just live a quiet, settled life and how on earth am I going to give up this growing wage?! However despite my doubts I knew inside this wasn't just something I wanted to do-it was something I had to do.

      I eventually sent off my application form and found a date I could attend an interview and in March signed a contract to spend 2 years in South America with Latin Link. Wow!

     I don't yet know details of exactly where, when and to do what but I know that I have the opportunity to step out of the boat, have an adventure and see what's possible when faith and action come together! I know I'll be using the skills that have been built up in me through all the amazing influences and examples I've had in my life and I know those skills are also about to be stretched beyond belief!!

     I would love to invite you to join with me on this adventure through your support. I have already so much evidence of the power of prayer and your praying is going to make a huge difference. Make sure you keep in touch too-as much as I'll be keeping you up to date with my news, I'd love to hear how you are doing!

     Also these two years will be completely voluntary meaning I need to cover living costs, flights, insurance, injections, visas and admin charges and though I am madly saving I am going to need a little help (the two years will cost £15000)! If you feel willing and able to support me financially as a one off or on a regular basis that would be truly incredible. Just let me know or visit Latin Link's web page www.latinlink.org and click on donate where you can specify where your money goes.

     Thanks for reading this (you deserve a medal!)

     Love you lots, Jo. xx

     www.latinlink.org