Renacer Methodist Camp News

The multipurpose room is almost done. Pascual and the rest of the crew have been working hard to finish the inside and outside of the building. Emiliano has been working on the field, cleaning the area to make the soccer and beach volley fields. The Merelos have been preparing the land for planting the garden, and everybody has been helping in different ways to do as much as possible before the Oakdale Emory UMC VIM team arrives in October.

All of the progress at the camp center project has been made possible; thanks to the donations and support of the Oakdale Emory UMC, other churches from PA, and the financial support of Miguel’s covenant churches and other individuals. We would like to give thanks to all of them, who have been helping us to fulfill this dream.

The Merelo’s bathroom: Due to the fact that Cecilia’s health hasn’t been good. (She was diagnosed with cancer; and has been under treatment and medical exams), we decided to build a kitchen and bathroom next to the cabin that they are using as their home. (They were using the camp restroom area during these past two years)

After two months of working on the new building, Pascual completed the inside of the bathroom: tiles on the floor and walls, and all the necessary equipment for a regular bathroom were installed. I took some pictures of his work, and I congratulated him for his “excellent job” with it. Suddenly, he said to me, “I never thought I could build my own bathroom”. His eyes were weeping and his emotion of being able to see his work was a very touching experience. This showed me, one more time, that there are things that for us are so common and normal in our lives, but for others are such a privilege to have.

All fenced: Olivio Techera is the name of the man who was hired to build the wire fence at the camp center. This was divided into three main parts, because of financial purposes. For those who know the place, the whole area has been wire-fenced. We had bought signs to keep the area restricted from animals and hunters and people who used to through trash onto the property.

Teeth for a nice smile: Cecilia Perez had been living without upper teeth for several years. Thanks to the support of the Oakdale Emory UMC VIM Team, she was under a dental treatment. When she saw herself in a mirror, she couldn’t believe her new smile. It

was even interesting see her husband and children’s eyes when they saw her for the first time with her new look. “God makes us smile in different ways, if we allow Him to do it”.

Pastors' Retreat

Montevideo, September 1st and 2nd - Under the new Presidency of the Uruguayan Methodist Church, Rev. Inés Simeone invited us to gather at the traditional pastors' retreat. This was held at the Catholic "Nazareth Retreat Center" in the Montevideo area. There were two days of fellowship and friendship, led by the topic “be constructive helpers of the Kingdom of God", as one of the main topics.

Visit to the "volunteers in Mission" Team members

Olney, MD, August.- After this great experience of being part of the Chilean Gathering, I visited some friends and people who have been volunteering at the Renacer Methodist Camp and Retreat Center in Paysandu. I would like to give thanks to Marti and Alden English for their hospitality, to Rev. DaeHwa Park, and all of the members of the Oakdale Emory UMC in Olney, MD. This was a time for preparing for their October 2008 Volunteers in Mission trip to Paysandu, Uruguay.

I would also like to give thanks to Rev. Robert and Shirley Cook, from the Christ UMC of Waynesboro, PA, for their hospitality and support during my time in PA, and to all former VIM Team members to the Uruguay mission field who gathered Sunday, August 10th, at the picnic at the Gee's farm.

Chilean Gathering

Oregon, August 1st to 4th.- The Chilean Gathering has been developed for several years by former missionaries and people related to Chile who are living in The United States. They normally gathered every two years in different places in the country. They take turns between the west coast, east coast and middle of the country to hold the gathering. This 2008 the Chilean Gathering was, from august 1st to 4th, in the Alton Collins Retreat Center in Portland, Oregon.

Being Chilean and an active missionary to Uruguay, I decided to take part in this reunion. To my surprise, most of the people, involved, were former missionaries who I had heard of, or met, during my time in Chile - missionaries such as Stanley and Beryl Moore, who served several years in the South and North of Chile, with whom I met and worked in the EMANA Project and the Kusayapu Agricultural School for Aymara Indians; Howard and Peggy Heiner, who met me when I was a five-year-old kid in Valdivia (city located in Southern Chile) while my parents were serving as pastors at the local church; Robert and Dorothy Johansson, who were also missionaries in Iquique and Arica, Chile, and many others who have been an important part of the history of my native Iglesia Metodista de Chile (Methodist Church of Chile); also. Bishop Neftali Aravena, of the Iglesia Metodista de Chile, who was the main speaker at the Chilean gathering.

I don't have enough expressions of gratitude for this magnificent experience of being part of this gathering. I was able to see the love of Christ in the lives of all of those who served so many years in the field, and still have memories and feeling so f the places where they served, and who continue to have hope and love for the future of the Chilean church.

Oregon hospitality: I would like to thank the Elys and the Waltmats for their hospitality during my time in Portland, OR.

"Faithful to Jesus Christ in a lay State"

Montevideo, July 17th to 20th, 2008: The Iglesia Metodista en el Uruguay gathered at the 20th General Assembly of the Methodist Church in the Crandon Institute (Methodist educational school) under the motto: "Faithful to Jesus Christ in a lay State". Through different instances, the members of the assembly reflected, once again, on the meaning and implications of this motto.

During the Assembly, we remembered more than 130 years of the Methodist presence in the country. This has become visible in the formation of culture, citizenship, values, through the Methodist participation of the communities of faith, the educational institutions, and involvement of the women and men in different areas of the Uruguayan society. Watching the past and projecting into the future, the General Assembly invited its members to continue the faithful road of work.

Rev. Inés Simeone, Pastor of the Central Methodist Church of Montevideo and National Coordinator of the Committee for Children, Women and Family, was elected as new President of the Iglesia Metodista en al Uruguay. Elected Vice-President was lay member Gladys Cuña, from the "El Camino" Methodist Church of Malvín in, in Montevideo.

"In the middle of the plurality of our society, as the Methodist Church, we are called to live as responsible citizens. Like Christians, the Gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to continue in this path. Like Christians, the Gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to be sensitive to the pain, solitude, injustice, violence and everything that goes against the "abundant life" of the human being; simultaneously that it impels us to work to change all of these signals of death by life's realities and hope to us."

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples" (John 8:31b, Today's New International Version)

"Curiosity kills the cat"!

Trinidad is a city located 118 south of Paysandú. Ms. Jane Augeistane, from Colorado Springs, has been coming to Uruguay during these past three years. The first time, she came as part of the Women's Division of the UMC in a program called "Ubuntu". This first activity was held in Montevideo. Women from different churches around the country came to learn how to quilt. The second year, Paysandú was the place selected for the program, and it was developed mainly by ladies from the northern part of the country. During this experience, Ms. Cecilia Perez (active member of San Lucas Methodist Church and one of the Camp Renacer caretakers) and other ladies from the local congregation learned how to quilt. As a local church, we organized a local workshop weekly. Since then, Cecilia has become the leader of the group and many other ladies have been involved in the local project. Last June 16th to 18th, Cecilia was invited to be part of the third quilting experience. This was held in the Methodist Church of Trinidad. This new opportunity for Cecilia has given her the chance to reinforce what she had learned before, to learn new techniques and to continue developing the local church's quilting workshop with enthusiasm.

"Curiosity kills the cat"! Since the Ubuntu project began in Uruguay, I had wished to be part of it. Unfortunately, for many different reasons, I hadn't been able to take part in the workshops. This past June was my chance! I had been invited to lead the morning bilingual devotions and help in the translation of the activity. I did the first one without any problem. However, the second one gave me a surprise. I noticed that my help was not 100% necessary, as most of the local ladies understood all of the instructions given by Jeanette and Wanda. So, what should I do? Just stand there watching, in case any help was needed? Well, knowing me - an active man - I decided to ask Jeanette if she was able to teach me how to quilt! I had never sewn on a sewing machine in my life!! This was going to be, not only an adventure for me, but also for the teacher!! She just started by saying, "Choose the pieces of fabric and colors that you would like to use in your quilting blanket". Wow! She really trusted me!!

Believe it or not! I had my first sewing and quilting experience......amazing, isn't it!!! You can see this "masterpiece". What do you think? This new experience in my life reinforced my thought that "nothing is impossible". We just need to try.

The Funny Part: The local TV station of Trinidad decided to report on the activity: ladies in the local community were learning a new sewing experience. Well, they found me there sewing and doing my quilting. That night the local News showed the quilting program. I stopped at the local church the next morning. One of the bricklayers who was working on the rebuilding of the old Trinidad Methodist Church building came to me and greeted me, saying, "Congratulations, Pastor; you were seen on TV last night! You're the first Methodist male pastor who I know who quilts"!! Everybody laughed and I learned a new lesson: "Fame is only temporary"!