In 2011/12, I took part in Missionar auf Zeit, a well-known voluntary program of the SVD that sends young Christians to SVD communities around the world. I was one of 15 participants in the cohort and spent a year in Argentina. Thirteen years later, I return to Steyl, the place from which we were sent out, and reflect: What remains from that time? How has it shaped me and perhaps my path in life?
My voluntary service brought me to Azara, a village of about 3,000 people in Misiones, a rural region in northern Argentina near the borders with Brazil and Paraguay. I lived and worked in the small, vibrant parish that formed the heart of the local community and shared the year with Enrique Große-Darrelmann, a 77-year-old priest of the SVD. Living with and learning from Enrique was a privilege. His life could fill volumes – he co-founded the SVD presence in Colombia, led missions in the Amazon rainforest, built health stations and homes for the elderly, and faced moments of both joy and setback. Wherever Enrique went, he left a deep mark on people and communities – through his joy, confidence, charisma, and faith in God. He was a presence.
I still vividly remember the first moment we met. “Dani!” he shouted with a broad smile and open arms. I felt welcome from the first moment. From that day, Enrique and I were friends – a friendship that lasted until his passing in 2016, and beyond. My year in Azara was colorful and formative. I remember long evenings sharing mate tea with our friends, everyday events moving the community, Enrique’s stories from his missions, and the shared masses in our beautiful church. I think of weddings and funerals we celebrated together, and the farewell night that the parish organized before my departure. I felt grateful and blessed.
When I left Azara in 2012, at age 20 and about to begin my studies, I carried many lessons and blessings with me, which certainly shaped my course of life. In several respects, I found a role model in Enrique – generous, courageous, authentic, and full of faith and joy. I also cherish the love and friendship I experienced in Azara. The community showed me that I am accepted as I am – a gift that gives me confidence and strength to this day. The experience also transformed my spirituality. I learned to value faith as a true and grounding part of myself, inspired by the simplicity and openness of Latin American spirituality. And my year in Azara deepened my curiosity for other cultures and people. Teaching me how much we share and the richness of our differences. These experiences have shaped me until today, and although I can never fully give back to the people of Azara, I feel committed to passing on these gifts to others.
Thirteen years have passed since then. In the meantime, I completed my studies and doctorate in Financial Economics and began my professional life in Germany. While my academic and professional direction was not directly influenced by my time in Azara, the way I approached it was. I studied abroad in Canada, France, and Sweden, and repeatedly returned to Latin America, always feeling a sense of connection. I developed the confidence to take on challenges and to persevere in difficult times, sometimes asking myself, “How would Enrique do it?”
Today, I work as a management consultant focused on the energy transition. When I started, I sometimes wondered whether I could remain true to my values and beliefs in a business world often seen as profit-driven. I have since learned that I can – and that compassion, faith, empathy, and confidence are as valuable in business as anywhere else. My experiences in Azara remind me to live by these values time and again.
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