Arriving in Argentina, I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into, but I would have never guessed the adventures and people that awaited my arrival!
My whole squad is staying at a YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in Mendoza, Argentina this month. This is “all squad” month so I’ve been blessed to work alongside my fifty squadmates instead of my usual team of seven. We’re sleeping in bunk beds, tents, and hammocks this month, working with the leaders of YWAM, and assisting them with various ministries throughout our time here. This is a sports base full of ropes’ courses and athletic fields. When I arrived, I assumed I would be helping with the children’s camps, which turned out to be only partially true. My first few days here were spent helping groups of teens on the ropes courses and bonding with the kitchen staff over cooking huge vats of spaghetti and baking hundreds of pizzas. It was typical camp life, and I loved it. Then suddenly, my first Friday rolled around and my team was told to pack up enough clothes and supplies for the weekend because we were heading out. To where… we didn’t know, for how long… we weren’t exactly sure, what would we be doing… your guess is as good as mine. We began to pack our things and a few hours later we were squished in the back of a small, unpredictable car with open minds and a little bit of apprehension.
So where did we end up? An indigenous village in the middle of the Argentinian desert, of course. Not exactly what I had guessed either but an adventure to say the least! The small car dropped us off in the middle of the desert where we climbed in a well-worn truck with the whole team, lots of food for the weekend, a translator, and a man named Tata whom we were told was the chief of the indigenous village (el campo) that we were about to visit.
With half the team inside the truck and the other half in the bed, we flew over mountains of sand dunes and an hour and a half later arrived at our destination.
We were greeted with hugs and kisses on each cheek (an Argentinian custom) by Tata’s wife and some of their family members. We then took a tour of the land and met their horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and dogs. The grounds were stunning! A quaint, little mud faced home surrounded by a beautiful farm, tons of animals and sand dunes as far as the eye could see. After meeting everyone and exploring a bit, we set up our tents and fell asleep wondering what we would be doing with this sweet, Spanish speaking family for the next few days.
Saturday morning, we woke up at 7am by a rooster’s call and dogs that sniffed at our tents. We emerged as the family ate breakfast at a little table next to the farm animals. We joined them, sat together for two hours and learned about their life in el campo and why they live there. During that time, I was able to have a great conversation with Tata’s wife, Terisa. She told me about her day-to-day life, how she became a Christian, and what her faith looks like out in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. Terisa told me that she became a Christian many years ago right after she had her first child. When her baby was less than a year old, he became very ill and urgently needed a doctor or he was going to die. Since they lived in the middle of the desert she had no way of quickly getting him to the hospital and was distraught over the fear of losing her new baby. After exhausting all options, she decided to pray and ask God to save her child. Her prayer was answered. Against all odds, her baby survived through the night and held on until she was able to get him to a hospital for treatment. Terisa’s life was never the same after that and she dedicated herself and her remaining years to Christ.
She and her husband now spend their time ministering to the others living el campo and spreading the Gospel to whomever they meet. She loves to house American guests and encourage missionaries as they make their way through Argentina. We learned Terisa and Tata have hosted numerous missionary groups that they have poured into just as Christ has poured into them.
For the next two days we drank Mate, a green tea-ish drink that is a staple in Argentina, shared meals and did life with this family that lives in a mud house in the middle of the desert. Tata and Terisa wanted to bless our team in a huge way so they gifted us an entire sheep that we helped prepare and cooked together for the remainder of the weekend.
Initially, I was a little freaked out at the thought of eating an animal that I had just petted a few minutes before, but that feeling was overshadowed by the appreciation I had for this selfless gift the family sacrificed to give us. Throughout the weekend I put together a few video blogs (vlogs) detailing a little bit more about our time with this Argentian family, check them out below!
The weekend was crazy, scary, intimidating, thrilling and a cultural experience that I will never forget. I left el campo with an extremely full belly and a soft heart, deeply touched by the way Tata, Terisa and the rest of her family cared for my team during our stay. I learned what a true servants heart looks like, in the desolate desert of Argentina.
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
I don’t have wifi this month but I will continue to post blogs as much as possible! Next stop.. Bolivia!
All my love <3
