New old friends

Sergio, Rodrigo and Laura in Comodoro


Laura -- Queen of the Patagonian Road

Rodrigo with Mate

Lau and Ro looking out over Esquel


Sergio

The boys with fresh caught trout for dinner


Don't you love the phenomenon? The new old friends. Somehow we slipped into being old friends in a remarkably short amount of time. All the more remarkable considering the language barrier! But our communication challenges seem to serve to bind us all the closer. To share a laugh across the gulf of language collapses the distance like nothing else.

Sergio (pastor of Esperanza Del Sur Lutheran) was one of the very first people I met in Argentina. He arrived in Buenos Aires with my supervisor, Gustavo for the national meeting of all the pastors in IELU (national Lutheran body of Argentina). Even more than his gentleness and patience, I appreciated Sergio's ability to laugh with me -- to work through the language with me to the point where we could laugh together. In those first days when I lived in terror (no exaggeration)that I wasn't going to make it -- that I would never be able to communicate -- Sergio helped create hope - we can do this!

When I received the news that my dear professor and mentor, Dr. Robert Smith died a couple weeks ago -- my new old friends came all the way to Comodoro (675 km of bad road!) to visit me and to take me back for a few days in Esquel. My heart feels so tender when I remember this kindness. I'll never forget it. Meet Sergio, Laura, Rodrigo -- my new old friends.