Mendoza, Argentina
11-27-17
Ministry Overview
Hola from Argentina!
Today marks exactly 2 weeks that we have been here. Like I mentioned in my last blog, this month is ALL SQUAD month which means that all 48 people in my squad (all 7 teams) are staying together at the same ministry site. We have had the pleasure and privilege to stay at a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) Base, or as they call it here JUCUM (Juventud Con Una Mision). The primary mission of this ministry is to know God and make Him known. At this specific YWAM site, they have a Community Development DTS (Discipleship Training School), as Sports DTS, and a Ropes Course. People from all over the world come here for DTS or to be on staff here. So far we have met staff from the states, Canada, Australia, Peru, England, Venezuela, and other parts of Argentina.
If you’re the type of person that likes to know more about these types of things, their website is ywammendoza.com . Have fun!
Right now it is spring in Argentina, and it’s getting very warm very quick. Because the property is set up similar to a summer camp, there are cabins, an event center with a large kitchen to prepare food for large groups of people, a HUGE swimming pool, a a small swimming pool, a high ropes course, low ropes course, lots of Eucalyptus trees, an open field for sports, a volleyball court, a basketball court, and a homemade outdoor weight room kind of area. There are many homes on the property, as well, where staff and maintenance live. Since we have been here, it seems like almost every weekday there has been a group of kids from a nearby school that has come to spend the day doing the ropes course challenges, playing sports, and doing team building activities.
All that to say, there is a lot of work that needs to be done, or shall I call it spring cleaning, before summer season swings into action. Our team specifically has been doing more of the manual labor fixing up the property with all the small jobs that take a lot of time. Last week, for 3 days, we raked, swept, and collected the leaves and dirt out of the GIANT pool. This pool is a perfect circle with the diameter very close to the length of a football field. (A word of advice: don’t forget your sunscreen! The sun here is no joke!) This week, we spent 3 days raking leaves around the property, gathering those leaves, and dumping all of them into the back of a trailer to take to the burn pile. My hands were blistered, it was really hot, and half the time it felt like we were just shifting around gravel, but that’s what I signed up for. To serve. On the days I feel like it and the days that I don’t. Especially on Thursday when I would have rather been celebrating Thanksgiving with my family at home, but God did something different this year. In the middle of the raking and sweating and the permanent layer of dirt that likes to stick to your skin here, God reminded me that I could go swimming when we finished raking! Then it became a game in my head…the harder I rake and punch myself, the hotter I would be and the better the pool would feel! We got to swim on Thanksgiving! What.
Sometimes multiple teams work together, and sometimes we are split up working with different ministries. Some teams have gone out into the desert, stayed with the indigenous people and had a sheep slaughtered for them. Some teams have gone to do evangelism in the city and in parks. Some teams have worked with schools. One morning we did Zumba with some ladies in the neighborhood and got to pray with them. One team went to the local women’s prison. One time we served spaghetti at a soup kitchen. Basically, our host reached out to like 40 pastors around here and asked what they needed, so our teams go help them, or just go out and share the love of God. The first weekend here, we did a “NIKO” camp in the city of Mendoza where we basically did another training camp to prepare for mission work in other countries. It was pretty challenging, but I can appreciate it now. While the teams were gone that weekend, YWAM hosted a marriage retreat at the property. This weekend, my team and one other team stayed on the property and helped set up for a wedding Saturday night. It was crazy town. They literally made the bride’s dress and bridesmaids’ dresses the day of the wedding. We probably had a total of about 40 people frantically running around setting things up, cutting out decorations, wrapping candies, cleaning windows, setting up the dance floor, decorating the alter, covering chairs, etc. And there were many times when I found myself thinking, “why didn’t they do this weeks ago?” But the reality is, that God knew we would be there and together we made it happen. It was beautiful. And the bride was very happy and thankful. So we started at 9am Saturday morning, and continued by washing dishes until 2:30am Sunday morning. Don’t worry, we definitely danced with the bride in our grungy “missionary clothes” from 2:30 to 3:30am! They didn’t stop partying until after 5am. It was a blast! A night I will never forget, dancing under the stars at a wedding we made possible in the middle of Argentina. This is my life right now. Crazy.
To sum all of that up, ministry looks different everyday. Flexibility is key. There is always something going on or something we can do to help. God has used each of us to share His love in a variety of ways, that all glorify Him. We will leave towards the end of next week for Bolivia, and I really don’t know if I will have wifi there based on what they’ve told us we are doing for ministry. So I may or may not have blogs for a little while. We will see. I do have some prayer requests if you would like to join me in prayer:
* My squad as a whole- pray against spiritual warfare and sickness. Pray for unity, strength, vulnerability, and wisdom. Praying for the armor of God especially.
* My team- to stay strong and grounded in Him. Our next month will be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually challenging. We will be traveling to 3 remote villages. There are malaria mosquitos (I’ll be taking my malaria meds), it could be dangerous, we will be hiking a lot, water will need to be purified, and the altitude is high. WE WILL NEED YOUR PRAYERS. I am confident that God will be with us and protect us. Other world race teams have done this before if that makes anyone feel better because I know what I just described may have some people worried. The Gospel is worth it. To the ends of the earth, right?
* One of the staff members at YWAM mentioned that there is a brothel pretty close to the property run by mob members, and there is a lot of sex trafficking to and from there. Some people in the community that owed debt to the mob, have even offered their children as payment. My squad took shifts through the entire night last night praying, and this was one of the specifics we prayed about.
* There is a fundraising deadline coming up for those on my squad who are still fundraising, so just prayers for the money to come through. Man, if I could tell you all the stories of crazy ways God has shown up in how money comes through, you wouldn’t even believe me. Only God. Some of my teammates are still fundraising, so if you are interested in supporting them, just let me know! Even just $25 a month adds up when multiple people are doing it. Just saying.
* Safe travels to Bolivia on our 30 hour bus ride
* That our last week and a half here would be a really blessed and sweet time with the people we have met and grown to love.
Thank you so much!
God Bless YOU! 🙂 xoxo
P.S. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to add pictures or videos. I’m using my iPad and trying to make it compatible, and nonreliable wifi, it takes a ridiculous amount of time and effort for a small chance of success. When I can, I will be uploading to Facebook or Instagram. Maybe Asia will be better for that! 🙂
