Give us hearts of flesh – Tierra Nueva II visits St. Joan of Arc

Give us hearts of flesh is the theme for Lent and we certainly grew our hearts during the delegation with Saint Joan of Arc Catholic Community and Tierra Nueva II.

From February 9-19, 2018, Olga and Pedro from Tierra Nueva II visited their sister community. We were welcomed in church services and Bible reflections, heard from wonderful community organizations, shared in community service, and even had time for zumba and a walk on (frozen) water.

Throughout the delegation, we held space for the three members of Tierra Nueva II that were denied visas to participate in the delegation.

Read more about our activities on the St. Joan of Arc daily blog.

Members of St. Joan of Arc welcome the group at the airport.

Friends meet again.

Tour of St. Joan of Arc.

Olga and Pedro meet their host family for the first weekend.

Three chairs reserved at Sunday masses for the three members of TNII who were denied visas.

Visit to the Somali Museum of Minnesota.

Mass and lunch with members of the Church of Gichitwaa Kateri.

A powerful art exhibit on missing and murdered indigenous women at All Our Relations gallery.

A “walk on water” at the cabin.

Pedro and Olga prepare rosa de jamaica and tostadas to share at the cabin.

An evening distributing food with Mobile Loaves Twin Cities.

Zumba at the cabin. The women’s group in TNII supported by St. Joan of Arc organizes aerobics classes three times a week to improve their community’s health.

Potluck at St. Joan of Arc to welcome the delegates from Guatemala.

Ice breaker at the welcome potluck.

Welcome potluck at St. Joan of Arc.

Bible study with Peregrinos II, a group that was formed to share reflections with the Bible study group in Tierra Nueva II, Peregrinos I.

Bible study.

Mass for the first Sunday of Lent – Give us hearts of flesh.

Choir members and host families with Olga and Pedro.

Cookies and coffee after church.

A visit to Northside Achievement Zone to hear about their work to close the achievement gap. Andre holds up a baby t-shirt that says, “College graduate 2035”.