blurb for the Rostro newsletter

Here´s my story about Chicos, to be published in the Rostro newsletter this coming month!


Whether our days end with a jam session on the guitar, watching an intense soccer game or catching up inside the chapel, Jessie and I always leave Chicos with lots to share. ``A student thrust an iguana in my face today!´´ ``He dyed his hair blonde!´´ ``They actually let me use the drill machine!´´ ``I learned how to sand and lacquer!´´ ``Did you see what the initials on his shirt stand for?´´ Usually, after we go through the funny stories, we start to reflect on what the boys have actually been teaching us. I´ll never forget sitting in the kitchen one day as a student asked me, ``Señorita, what have you learned so far from us?´´
The most inspirational lesson I´ve learned in Ecuador so far, particularly from the boys at Chicos, is the importance of accompaniment. One student asked me to accompany him to the office, so he could finally get the three notebooks he needs for class (he´s been without them for a few months now). Another student asked me to accompany him to visit his sister, whom he hasn´t seen in 9 months, to reconcile their relationship. Yet another student asked me to accompany him on a walk, as we chatted about his life at the shelter and at home. These moments of accompaniment come in all shapes and sizes, but I´m learning how important it is just to be present with someone. That companionship can be offered or asked for, in easy or difficult situations. But what this year, this placement, is continuing to teach me is that we really cannot learn how it feels to live in this shelter. But we can be present to the boys, listen to them, go with them when they need us. And that translates to all relationships, understanding how supportive my family and friends at home and here have been during this time, and constantly striving to accompany those I love in their struggles and joys. I may not be able to fix everything, or anything, but I can be a loving presence, and often that accompaniment is more than enough.