From the airport of Madrid-Barajas, three teachers of the EDUCAR Network have embarked on a trip full of enthusiasm and dedication to Venezuela, where they will live a volunteer experience promoted by ARCORES, the International Solidarity Network of the Augustinian Recollect Family.
An educational mission with an Augustinian spirit
Farewells are usually emotional, but when the destination is fraternity and service, the heart is filled with hope. Marta, Irene and Iván -three teachers of the Augustinian Recollect schools of Spain- have started their volunteer work in Venezuela with the sincere desire to give, but also to receive.
“We are here at the airport waiting to be able to travel to a new experience, which is to go to Caracas to give all that we have, but above all to receive from the Augustinians what they are going to offer us,” shared Marta, from Sacred Heart School.shared Marta, from Sacred Heart School.
This initiative is part of the volunteer programs of ARCORES, which allows teachers, young people and members of the Augustinian Recollect family to collaborate in missions, educational centers and social projects in various countries. On this occasion, the trip takes these three teachers to live the reality of the Recollect works in Venezuela.
Teachers with a missionary soul
Irene, a teacher at Colegio San Agustín in Valladolid, learned about the project through her educational experience:
“From there I got to know the ARCORES Network and all the works that the Augustinians do, and they approached me with this project… with great enthusiasm and emotion I said yes”.
Ivan, from Divine Providence College, is not new to volunteering: he has participated in missions in Costa Rica and Mexico. But the excitement does not diminish:
“We hope to do our bit so that people receive not only our experiences as teachers, but also our love.”
A transforming experience
This volunteering is not only an act of solidarity, it is also a school of life. Marta expresses it clearly: “As a person, it will influence me and make me grow much more than what I do on a daily basis. We know that we will receive more than we give.
For her part, Irene summed up the common sentiment with a phrase that resonates deeply with Augustinian spirituality: “Although there are many things that are different, we have many things that are very much the same”.
Amid nerves, excitement, a delayed flight, but above all hope, the three professors sealed their commitment with a simple but powerful expression: