From January 2025 to January 2026, Benjamin worked with Latin Link in Bolivia:
“I worked at El Alfarero in the café, which works with volunteers. This included all the usual work in a café, such as making coffee, operating the till and cleaning. We also looked after the volunteers, played community games, held small devotions and other activities.
In Santa Cruz, people are actually very welcoming, but I have noticed that hospitality is not as commonplace as I am used to at home. So I was all the more pleased when I was able to invite two Bolivians to dinner. One of them said something like: “So nice, I’ve never been invited to someone’s home for a meal just like that.” I was very surprised at that moment because it was someone who was popular in the church and a leader – not a lonely person.
I’m not a 5-star host, I’m often not very attentive, I don’t cook like a professional and sometimes I don’t feel like having long conversations. Nevertheless, I’ve always enjoyed inviting people over. I didn’t have my own table in my apartment, so I asked my landlord if we could eat at his table. I didn’t have four identical plates, so we all ate from plates of different sizes. And because I didn’t have a coffee machine, we drank instant coffee together after the meal. Many people think that as a host you have to be perfect – but this imperfectionism makes the situation more real, more personal, and often even makes the guests feel more comfortable.
That’s exactly what I liked about El Alfarero’s café: everyone was welcome there, you didn’t have to be a member of a club or a Christian and, above all, you didn’t have to order anything. Many people came to do their homework, play games or talk. I thought this open approach was great – it reminded me that hospitality doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s simply about creating spaces for encounters, accepting people as they are and making personal moments possible. And that’s exactly what I try to do in my everyday life. Because in the end, it’s not perfection that counts, but the genuine connection between people.”
Story from https://www.latinlink.ch/
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