We feed, rehabilitate and love Argentina's forgotten

29th May 2010.   “Joaquin, here is a potato peeler, please help prepare the meals”.  This was one experience for our latest volunteers.  Joaquin Schenonei made history  by being the very first Argentinian to volunteer in Hogar Santa Teresa del Niño Jesús.  He is fully committed to the teachings of God through the Catholic faith and proved this by attending the daily Mass during his one week stay. 

Joaquin had a desire for a new experience in his life and decided to come to the home, as he said himself,  ”to give a hand”.  This was all new territory for him and he did not really know what was expected from him. 

As he is Argentinian, he quickly settled down as he had, for obvious reasons, no problems with communications and knows the Argentinian way of life.  For him, he could see Jesus in the disabled residents and experienced a joy by giving himself to others.

Joaquin, who travelled up from Buenos Aires, he lives in a suburb called San Isidro,  enjoyed his stay helping to care for the residents in anyway he could.

We hope that his example for volunteering will be followed in the future by many other Argentinians.  We wish him all the best for the future.

Whatever fears they may have had before their arrival to Hogar Santa Teresa, Niamh Costello and boyfriend Conor McKay,  disappeared rapidly.   Their welcome, as is the norm, like the warm welcome given to the Prodigal son on his return home, was overwhelming by both residents and staff alike.

Thanks to their employer, the BBC, Niamh and Conor, were allowed a  year´s break from their radio work.  They decided to see as much of the world as possible during this time.  Before coming to South America they visited  Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand  and other countries.  Conor spent as much time as he could surfing: he brought his very own surf board with him. 

Niamh, from Bray, Co. Wicklow and Conor from Omagh, Co. Tyrone, greatly and joyfully entertained the residents during their two week plus stay.  They sang, danced, played guitar and football,  and helped residents to paint and draw.  Besides all of that, they also helped with the kitchen work and the feeding of the residents.  During the Mass, they sang some hymns in Irish.

Niamh and Conor are two extraordinary individuals who used all of their God given talents to genuinely help those in the home. It wasn´t merely that they helped but the manner in which they did things.  Both put their hearts and souls into everything they undertook to do.  The tenderly manner in which they treated all residents was next to none.  They oozed with enthusiasm, warmth and great joy as they went from one task to the next, especially when looking after the disabled residents.   Sparing themselves never entered their heads.

21st May, was a sad day for all in the home as both Niamh and Conor departed, both volunteers themselves feeling very emotional with Niamh having to be comforted.  They would have preferred to stay longer but time did not permit it.

Niamh, Conor, you have set an outstanding standard which will be extremely difficult to attain by future volunteers.

We all wish you a very pleasant and enjoyable time in the rest of your travels before you return to work this coming July. 

May God bless both of you.

Please read Conor´s article: A help or a hindrance?

Although the container arrived safely sometime ago, it is still in Buenos Aires.  The customs authorities have requested more documentation which has to come from Ireland.  This required information was posted about 3 weeks ago but has not yet been received by us.  On receiving it in Hogar Santa Teresa, Casa Pastoral, Oberá, it will then have to be forwarded to the authorities in Buenos Aires.  Unfortunately, the container will remain there until the authorities decide that it may continue on its 14 hour journey to us.  We earnestly pray that the container will soon be with us.