Porto Alegre: a mission that transforms

From September 13 to 26, Sr. Leticia Guantay (from Jujuy), Laura Lamas (from Salta), and Elida Ruth Aguilar (from Córdoba) shared a missionary experience in Brazil, engaging with the work the Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden (*Hermanas del Huerto*) carry out with children, adolescents, families, and women in vulnerable situations.

These were days of encounter, listening, and service, but also an opportunity to be touched by different realities and to return with a renewed perspective.

For Elida, it was a true “immersion in the Gianellian spirit.” She was particularly moved to discover how love and self-giving become visible in the joy of both those who serve and those who are accompanied: “I return grateful and proud to belong to this Gianellian family.”

For Laura, this was her first mission experience. She returned deeply moved by the stories and encounters: “I came back from Brazil with a different view, with lessons I have learned, and gestures of affection. I learned to value much more what I have.” She summarizes the experience with a certainty: “When you approach another person with an open heart, you end up finding yourself as well.” 

For Sr. Leticia, the mission had a special impact on her consecrated life. In the various communities, she found a concrete expression of “Vigilant Evangelical Charity” and confirmation of the enduring relevance of the charism: “It was a gift from God that allowed me to see the richness of our charism.”

Three women, three stories, and a shared path. They set out to serve and returned carrying faces, names, lessons, and gratitude.

For mission is not merely about going out to give; it is also about allowing oneself to be found, to receive, and to be transformed.

Mission makes us family.

“We cultivate communication: joyful, fraternal, and missionary.” EGA ARGENTINA –

Mother Clara Podestá Province

Daughters of Our Lady of the Garden