We have had the pleasure of spending this last week in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s a nice city. It reminds me a lot of New York. It is a very modern city, unlike the other cities we have been to.
Our first two nights were a little interesting. The hostel that we were staying at was a stark contrast to our lifestyle. It was party central, a little rough around the edges. Although my heart aches out for that crowd to see the light, we chose to move on to more peaceful refuge.
We found a nice place a few blocks away for only a few pesos more. There is still some loud music downstairs, but we don’t have to worry about getting int0xicated just from walking out of our door. We actually have a little suite to ourselves upstairs, complete with our own kitchen table and sink and a bathroom with a shower. Not bad for a hostel. We even have a private balcony. It was a nice place to get some much needed rest and team bonding before heading to Africa.
On our first day on the town, we went to a buffet for dinner. We were told it is the cheapest place in town to eat. It was still a little expensive for our budget, but we decided to go for it. During dinner, Kelly spotted a couple across the room and said she felt like we were supposed to talk to them. She went over and introduced herself, hoping that he was a pastor but found out he sells cars or something. They were a nice couple, and the woman invited us to go to church with her. We made plans to meet her later, and we went to check out this church.
The church was very large and modern. They had theatre style seating with two levels. They even found somebody to translate the service for us. Our translators name is Christian. He was very nice and helpful. After the service, he took us down to meet with the pastor. This service is actually broadcast on the internet, so out whole group can be seen somewhere on the worldwide web. I have no idea what the site actually is, but we are out there somewhere.
The service was great. The message seemed to be straight from God to us. It was very powerful. There were a few things that some of us felt were a little off, so we decided that it isn’t something we would recommend as a contact for future teams. The church does support an orphanage outside of town. We were planning to go and visit it, but the plans fell through. Although this church wasn’t what we were lookin for, it did lead us to someone else.
The subways had already closed, so we were standing outdside trying to figure out how to get back to our hostel. Our friend was telling us we could take the bus back, so we went to the bus stop. At the bus stop, we met a guy named Luis. He was also from that church, and he used to work at the restaurant were we had met the other couple. He also spoke pretty good English. He offered to show us how to get back so that the other lady could go home. We talked for a while on the bus, and as we were walking home. We decided to stop and get pizza because we were hungry. He sat and talked with us for a while, and told us his testimony. It was inspiring. He is a true man of God with a powerful anointing. He has only gotten his life on track recently, but He know who he is and who his God is.
It turns out that Luis is actually from Lima, and has lived in Argentina for about nine years. What a “cooincidense”. We dicided to hook him up with Bob Cooley and one of our translators from Lima. I think they will have a lot to share. Luis was actually already planning to move back to Lima, and we saw him off to the bus station a few days ago. The guys got to meet his wife right before he left, so they got her number so we could get in touch with her. They have been kind of separated because of the lifestyle he had been living in the past. He is planning to go to Lima and get himself set up and find a house before his wife comes to join him. Please pray that God will restore their family. They are such great people. The kids actually live with their Grandmother in Lima, and haven’t seen their dad in about nine years.
Mallorie decided to call his wife Elizabeth and invite her to meet for coffee. So she and I met with her yesterday. She is such a sweet woman. When we found her at our meeting place, she told us that she had gotten a call from Luis and he was not allowed to enter Peru because of some paperwork he had not completed. He was actually being sent back here to Argentina to get it cleared up. Please pray that he is able to reslove the paperwork and get back on his way to Peru.
Mallorie and I had a great time talking with Elizabeth. She admitted that she used to be close to the Lord, but had drifted away because she had been hurt so bad. It was hard for her to trust Luis after what they had been through. We were able to encourage he and let her know that God still loves her and wants her to come back to him. She was so full of joy during our meeting. She hasn’t really had any friends for a long time, and was thrilled to have some companionship. It’s unfortunate that we only had that one day. We exchanged emails and hugs, and blessings in the name of our Lord.
I have big hopes for that family. They really will be great in the Kingdom. I pray that their marriage is restored and strengthened, so they can serve the Lord in powerful union. I pray that their kids can be supported and loved by their parents, and that heeling can replace the wounds they have all suffered. God, restore to them what the devil has stolen.
Jake and I has also found another church in our wanderings one day. They were out in a vacant lot dedicating the property for their new church building. We got some information and took it back to the rest of the group. Sunday night, we went to check out their service. It was basically a repeat of the service we had seen earlier in the open lot, but it was good. They talked about the foundations of the church and what they stood for. It wasn’t very exciting, but it was all very good stuff. The church was very solidly founded on Jesus Christ and saw the Bible as their authority. It was refreshing to see such dedication to honoring God for what He had done for them.
After the service, a bunch of the young adults introduced themselves and invited us out for pizza and ice cream. We had a great time hanging out and talking to them. The church also has a lot of social programs – one of which is feeding the homeless. We were invited to come back and help serve the food with them. It was great to have a chance to get involved and serve. When we arrived, we found one of the other World Race teams there as well. We had both been led to the same church through different means.
These people had a very tight system in place, and most of the time I felt like I was more in the way. They were so gracious and patient though, and were genuinely happy that we had come to help. We had a good time talking to them and finding our more about the church. This was definately a church worth passing on as a contact. If I lived here, I would love to attend that church.
To end our week, and our American leg of our journey, we had a little team fun. We ate some famous Argentinian steak, and did a little photo scavanger hunt throughout the city. We ended the “contest” at the Zoo, and then went in as a team to enjoy it. It was a nice little end to our trip. The rest of the night has been spent packing and cleaning up the loose ends so we can head to the airport in the morning.
None of us are looking forward to the 15 hour flight, but we are hoping to do some sight seeing in London during our long layover. They it’s back on the plane for another 12 hours to Johannasberg. I hope they have some good movies for the flight.
I don’t know what our internet options are going to be in Africa. I don’t even really know our itinerary yet. I will try to keep you posted when I can, but if internet isn’t available, no news is probably good news. I have been anticipating this next leg of our journey, and am excited to arrive back on African soil. It is exciting to have the opportunity to see a different part of the continent, and meet new people. I am still sad that I wont be seeing my Kenyan friends, but I have gotten good reports from them. The boys are returning to Eburru to do some ministry, and they are still very strong in the Lord. That make my heart very glad.
I hope all of you back home are also running strong in the Lord. There is much work to be done in every corner of the world. We are in the middle of a war that we are guarenteed to win. We have no excuse not to pick up our battle axes and join the fight.
