The Luquin-Lasa Family
From July 14 to August 14, the Luquin-Lasa couple, along with their two children, Ander and Julen, will be in Bucharest working at the Marcellin Champagnat Residence. Javier and Jaione live in Pamplona, where their children attend the Marist school. Javier is president of the school?s Parents Association. The family also belongs to the San Fermin Fraternity. Time is not important to them when it comes to getting involved with SED, directing the school?s volunteers, or participating in the Province activities related to our NGO and to the Province?s solidarity projects.
On May 8, those who are going to be involved with summer projects got together at Alcala de Henares. There we had the chance to chat with Javier and Jaione.
Marist Iberica: How did you get the idea of going to Bucharest?
Javier and Jaione: Around the Province the work being done with street children in Bucharest is well known. Those of us in the Parents Association have been involved with the work over a few years. In addition, Brother Juan Carlos has spoken to us enthusias-tically about his work and about the volunteers who help in summer time. If we also consider the many school activities, those of the Fraternity, and those of SED, there is really nothing so remarkable in our having the idea of joining the work which we admire so much. We?ll have a different kind of vacation, and we hope that it will be a very happy one.
MI : How did you work the arrangement out in your family context ?
JandJ: Yes, it wasn?t so easy. We had to bear in mind that Ander is fourteen years old and Julen, nine. However as the project became clearer and after we spoke about it with Brother Juan Carlos, things began to work out well enough.
MI : What will you be doing in Bucharest ?
JandJ: Well for one thing, simply to be a family. That has been one of the project goals for this year, because a normal family situation is something the children at the Center really don?t understand well. Beyond that, each of us will take part in the activities as best we can. Ander is a good musician and will offer a workshop on the flute. Javier is know-ledgeable about information technology, while Jaione – as mother – will try to demonstrate to the boys and girls how to balance personal autonomy with the responsibilities of home and family. Julen, our younger boy, will become a soccer player on the local teams.
MI: So that will be your vacation?
JandJ: Yes, a different kind of vacation. All the same we are hoping to be happy in Bucharest, and then, to pack up a suitcase full of experiences, of dreams before we head back to Spain. Along with Brother Andoni and the two young women, Ruth and Marisa, we?re all already getting well prepared so that everything will turn out well.