Naomi Francey
Gilford Parish (Down & Dromore)
My Gap Year……..
Where to start? It is difficult to sum up nine months in Argentina through SAMS into 200 words, but I’ll try my best. My work involved working with kids clubs, soup kitchens, children’s hospital visitation, being a teacher assistant in a primary and secondary school and basically showing people the love of God in all that I did. Would I do it all again? YES!
I think that the highlight of my trip would have been working in a soup kitchen just outside the city of Salta where we fed the kids, helped them with their homework and played with them in the park. These kids were cheeky, funny and energetic. They also had patience with my lack of Spanish and were just great to be with. They came from the surrounding shanty town area and the love I had for them was so special. Their lives seemed so carefree, even though I’m sure some of them had many struggles hidden behind their smiles.
Argentina itself is a tremendous country; I loved it whenever I got the opportunity to travel. The Iguazu Falls bordering Argentina and Brazil were amazing, the geysers of Chile were breathtaking and the Bolivian countryside was so peaceful. Salta is a great city, surrounded by beautiful mountains and filled with people who have beautiful hearts. I know I have left many friends and a new family there and I will return when God wants me to go again, I hope it’s sooner rather than later!
Please continue to pray for the work of the church in Argentina and many thanks to the SAMS network.