Andy, Argentina: "I bring the spirit of the Work with me wherever I go"

Because of a situation in my family, I decided to come to Salta to take care of my nephew. When I came, we went to the doctor and it turns out that he has a condition, autism spectrum disorder. At the time, he was 12 years old or 11 years old. His mother died. She’d been very unwell. She had cancer. And my mom, at that point, took care of him. And a year and a half later my mother died. That was last year. It will have been a year in November.

That's why I decided to come. Coming to Salta: it was a difficult decision, because it was something I never expected. I saw the need; it was necessary and it would be crazy for me not to react, to be indifferent, knowing that I could go help if I wanted to.

Before I came here, I lived in Buenos Aires, in a centre of the Work. And now I've come to live with him, where he was already living. Of course, that's what I thought before coming. Well, now I'm going to do the Work in my family. My natural family. And we’re going to take care of my nephew and my brother, to build our family there.

The Work is my family. It’s very similar to this family. I know that it's mine, that I have to help it move forward.

I carry the spirit with me wherever I go, whatever circumstances I’m in. Of course, at that moment my family was the priority. What God was asking of me at that time was to help those who needed me more: my natural family.

The Work is my family. It’s very similar to this family. We’re all different. For example, my siblings and I are different, some quieter, others more talkative — and it’s the same in the Work. At times we have disagreements, we argue, we make up. It also means that I know that it's mine, that I have to help it move forward.

Being in Opus Dei, I learned that friendship has more value, so to speak, because my goal is to bring my friends closer to God. What really helped me is receiving formation. Because I was learning things to become a better person and to be able to help my friends and the people I meet. I became a better person, I learned many values, and I learned a lot about trust too: the importance of trust and fidelity.