I had a fabulous meeting this mornign with the visitors to the diocese from our link diocese in Peru. I told them all about the youth work that goes on in the diocese and my role in enabling that and resourcing it. It was fantastic to discover that Rosario, one of the group, has an incredibly similar role in Peru. She even blogs!! So I've added a link to her blog as a beginning of really making the link with Peru something tangible and real rather than just a theoretical thing on paper which I guess it has been for me (and others?) before now. Her blog includes the joy of a picture of our Bishop John wearing a Peruvian style hat at the Diocesan Assembly and lots of other wonderful photos of their visit here to the diocese.
I managed to understand some of what they were saying without the translator but far from all and, as usual, found myself deeply lacking the vocabulary to say anything like as much as I'd like to have said to them in Spanish. For some reason I could remember REALLY useless words and like Merluza (which is Spanish for Hake!) and not the useful things! I did give the translator a few challenges by talking about skateboarding, juggling and morris dancing!
The three of them were such lovely people and, far from having a formal meeting, we had a great chat about youth work, life, music, young people and building community. They were also so lovely in giving me a Peruvian link wristband, a CD of some fabulous young Peruvian Christians singing and the most beautiful small carved nativity made by those most affected by violence in the area over the last few years.
It was a real blessing.
There's also a real chance I might be able to take some young people out there in 2010. SO EXCITING!
UPDATE: Rosario has posted about our link too.
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