"A Visit Full of Support and Hope"
Pablo and Manu, like every Monday for the past few months, visit us from Necochea, where they belong to a Christian Evangelical entity, which is pastored by leader Ortega, once again as always supporting the work done at Liberté, in the spiritual context, bringing the Christian message, although the support also extends to sports, specifically football, where a large group of people, currently incarcerated, form a football team from Liberté, train under the guidance of a physical education teacher, and another colleague coordinates the overall sports work; what stands out most is that everyone works with great responsibility.
Visit of Spiritual and Sports Support
For this reason, we called Pablo and Manuel from Radio Aires de Liberté to tell us details about this relationship they maintain with Liberté. Good afternoon, Pablo tells us, who is currently the Football Technical Director, and he says, "thank God everything is fine," and wanting to know more details, we asked him and his partner, "Manu," to share details of their visit. He tells us they brought football clothing in the colors that represent our space, blue being the most predominant, with green and black details complementing the jerseys that the boys now wear during physical training, and Pablo says this gesture is mainly so they keep working and through football, he continues, to bring them to this spiritual path which for us is key because from there everything will start to take a different direction. We highlight that Pablo, who remains connected to football as a coach, was previously a top scorer in the tournaments of the aforementioned seaside city, where both come from.
Football as a Tool for Change
Pablo, the one who speaks more between the two, refers to the support they provide so that through football they can invite them to the spiritual path, which for them is key, because he assures that from there everything will begin to take a different direction. Pablo says that many times it is believed that one has a slave mentality, and that being in a place like prison, where there is no freedom of movement, it is believed that being outside the walls, one does have it, but the change of course has to do with a change of thought, a change of life philosophy, and he adds that this is what they have been preaching during their visits; what they want is to bring through the word and knowledge the spiritual presence of Jesus Christ into their lives.
Testimony of Love and Hope
Manu says it is very nice to come and share with the "boys," a term that shows affection and defines their relationship with our space. A bit tired from having played a football match wearing the brand-new gear, "Manu" confesses and declares having played football in the past like Pablo, in the Necochean football league, and now after leaving that activity, another focus is pursued and through sport a new path is emerging for everyone. "We don’t see marginalized people, but people with talents and gifts," and in this, Manu highlights the gift they received as a sign of gratitude for their support. It is a mural made by our colleague Ian, it is made on fabric, there appears a biblical word, Manu points out that this gift is a blessing and insists that this is the beginning of something big from this place outward.
Words of Gratitude and Blessing
Pablo closes by saying that for them it is a great blessing to be at Liberté sharing time, experience, and knowledge. At the end, he finishes with, "freely we have received and freely we can share."
Source: Radio Aires de Liberté
