Large-ish Photo Update

1. Ximena, Emilia, Romina, and Florencia playing in La Obra.

2. Fabrizia, Roman, and Natalia taking a mate break at La Obra.

3. The kids from Escuelita II were asked to act out some brief skits illustrating the Golden Rule, basically. This group´s scene involves a pregnant woman, an old man, and a couple of kids getting on a crowded bus - who´ll give up their seats for them???

4. We drank mate on the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia for group retreat in November. However, it was windy on deck, and to avoid a yerba storm, Kristina wrapped her hands around the mate while James drank.

5. Buenos Aires skyline from the ferry.

6. My wonderful fellow YAGMs at Centro Emanuel during our retreat.

7. This is what happens when you give a kid the camera and they want to take a photo of you...

8. Thanksgiving at Nuestro Salvador - We had a big church potluck, and Stella made pizza. It was good, too.

9. Pastor Wilma (in black) talking with Beatriz, the church organist, at the Thanksgiving lunch.

10. We all ate our fill, and then some. I brought deviled eggs - it´s not a church lunch without them! The long-haired guy in the blue shirt is Sebastian, Wilma´s son, and his dad, Álvaro, is in the yellow shirt.

11. Montevideo in the late spring and early summer - a riot of colors as the jacarandas bloom!

12. Candombe project at La Obra - the older youth helped the kids learn their parts.

13. Meanwhile, the girls worked on a dance to go with the candombe.

14. Guards inside the Mausoleo de Artigas (Artigas´ Mausoleum) at Plaza Independencia. Artigas led the struggle that resulted in Uruguayan independence.

15. Plaza Zabala in the Ciudad Vieja; Zabala was the founder of Montevideo. Interesting trivia bit: The name Montevideo comes from the lookout in Magellan´s flagship who, when he saw El Cerro (the big hill on the other side of the bay from the main part of the city), said in Portuguese "Monte vide eu" - I see a hill. The name stuck.

16. The cross at La Obra at the Christmas celebration.

17. Claudio versus the oncoming storm - we were driven inside once the rain started!