Hello Family,
Kalyn here to give you all the details and pictures of Argentina from my perspective!
We are in South America! Our team had 6 days of travel from when we left the Philippines to getting to our host in Cascada, Argentina, a town of 30 people. When we arrived we were instantly hit with the most beautiful sunrise as we drove through the open fields.
It was freezing. About 20 degrees, which was a big shock for our team as we have been chasing the sun…like 90 plus degrees sun for the last 7 months. As we drove into their yard we saw the families house which was an old school building and all the animals.
It was early so all the kids were sleeping. We were shown to our rooms because everyone was exhausted from all the days of traveling. Our hosts were so sweet to give Matt and I their bedroom. It was such a blessing for them to do that. We were on the other side of the house from our team with our host Marcos and his wife Paola along with 4 of the boys. The rest of our team shared rooms with the girls in the main part of the house. Oh did I mention there were 9 kids 🙂 ? 4 Biological and 5 adopted.
The Family
Some of the best people you will ever meet. No one knew english, but we learned to communicate in other ways. Matts Spanish got a lot better, mine not so much but I tried my best. Unfortunately languages is not something that comes natural for me. Marcos and Paola are such a beautiful couple who want to do everything they can to answer the call of the Lord. Including moving from the capital of the country to a town of 30 people. The kids were so fun. They ranged from 8-17 years old. I got really close with Manu who was 12. We danced together, played cards, sports and sang songs together. Of course all of the boys loved Matt and we taught them how to play American football with a rugby ball because that’s all we could find at the store and they thought that was the coolest thing ever.
What We Did
Half of our team including Matt went and did construction during the day at a house about 40 mins away from where we were staying.
The family is trying to rebuild so they can move closer to their school and are able to help more kids. The other half of our team including me stayed back at the house and helped Paola with cooking, cleaning and laundry. Some days this took the whole day, other days my teammate MeMe and I were able to take long walks and lay out in the field and do devotion together, listen to podcasts, and pray for our team.
It was really nice for me to be on a farm. I really missed the quiet, and being able to go on prayer walks and just sit outside in a field, even if it was freezing cold. For the first half of our time there Matt and I were able to take a walk together in the mornings and watch the sunrise.
This time really meant a lot to us since we really didn’t see each other much during the day. The Lord revealed a lot of things in our hearts as individuals and as a couple. These things were hard to work though. The conversations were rough. They were deep. BUT God brought reconciliation like He always does. This is our teams theme and it has been very much a part of us as individuals and as a team since we were brought together. I can definitely say, some of my sweetest moments on the race, even though they were SO HARD were on the train tracks with my husband, in the fields with MeMe and feeding the calf with Manu, in Cascada, Argentina.
We also had several different dinners with different families from the area that did not know the Lord. They brought over their kids and their hungry stomachs ready, from Marcos’s famous homemade pizza :).
I Cried A lot This Month
I am not a crier, but this month opened up the floodgates. It was really hard for me not to be able to communicate with the family, how I wanted to. A lot of people on our team struggled with personal life situations. We didn’t have WiFi at all which is fine, I’m honestly not really that attached to my phone for the social media aspect, but what was really hard for me was not being able to communicate with any of my close/married friends. If I am being honest a huge part of me is ready to get back to the “normal” married life. Whatever normal even means for Matt and I. I crave being around people who fully know us. People who are married and get what it’s like. The race is definitely more set up for single people. We had a married couple, Kaydan and Katherine on our squad for the first 6 months, and even though they were not with our team most of the time we always knew they were there as our advocates, and they knew what we were going through. Jesus really showed me that He is always my advocate. He knows exactly what I am going through at all times, and He can relate to me. My teammate MeMe really pressed into a deeper friendship with me and that really meant the world. We are both in similar situations, I am the only married girl on the squad and she is the only black girl on the squad. Both present their own challenges. But our father makes things out of nothing all the time. He asked me about a million times in a million different ways if I would trust Him. Some days I did, and some days I didn’t if I am being honest. Some days I choose joy and some days I didn’t. Some days I pressed in and some days I didn’t. He was constant and I was a roller coaster and this is coming from a girl who is normally pretty steady. Once I choose to let go and put it in the Lords hands it got a lot easier. I was able to see the beauty again, but you know sometimes it takes some time to get there :).
How We Are Doing
The race has been a lot harder than we ever could have expected in a lot of ways. Some days we really wish we were back home. Comfortable. Around people we miss. Sleeping in our own bed. Having alone time. Showering as long as we want… and the list goes on but you get the idea. BUT GOD. The adventures Jesus has taken on us, the lessons He has taught us, the people we have been able to share His love with are worth all the hard. All worth being uncomfortable. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes you’re uncomfortable. Sometimes you’re married and have to live in one room with 6 other people for a month. But God is still on the throne! God still sees us! God moves in the hard and the easy. He’s still there cheering us on like proud parents at the championship basketball game. Screaming in the crowd of people that He believes in us, cares about us, knowing that we can finish strong in His strength.
Whatever hard you’re in right now… if you’ve cried more than normal, been angry more than normal or had an unspeakable amount of joy. You’re biggest cheerleader is watching you with the most loving eyes and biggest smile, reminding us that we can do it because He is with us. Wooing us with His love. Sending angels for protection. Making us into new wine. This has been my biggest prayer and my “race song”. Jesus bring new wine out of me.
In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making
New wine
In the soil, I
Now surrender
You are breaking
New ground
So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand
Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me
