Zarate, Elisha, Frustrations and Joys

Greetings Friends and Family. Things have been generally great, though not without frustration. I'll elaborate on that following an update on the Zarate trip and my time with Elisha.

ZARATE

Zarate was great! After a 2hr bus ride, I found myself thoroughly outside of the city. It was very tranquil and I was met by the smiling Roberto Magalu (my name-twin). His mother prepared a fantastic home-cooked meal for us and following that, Roberto, Martin, Esteban and I took about a five-mile walk. We walked down to the river and decided to take a walk on the bridge (which you may see in the background here is quite a ways away). By the time we reached the center of the bridge, it was night and raining. We loved it! We also drank máte while we walked (like an herbal tea) and talked a good bit. Between the four of us, the language barrier was not really a problem. One of them responded to some of the things I said in the sermon a few weeks ago (I had talked a little about my own testimony, grace, and about the power and purpose of fellowship). He said that he identified with some of my past struggles and was grateful that I had shed some light on the topic. We talked a little about how God blesses what we give to Him and how He helps us with our struggles when we let Him do the fighting for us. We talked some about accountability and how Satan uses shame and pride to make us feel alone and to separate us from God's power and community. It was a really good conversation. They then told me that they wanted to talk about sex at church. I smiled and said we'll see what we can do.

The Zarate family is pretty wonderful. The father found the Church here in Caballito (about 2 hours away) and started bringing his family, attending, and asking questions. He and his family had been attending an Argentine-Evangelical church in Zarate and were a little unsettled by some of the teachings, which they couldn't explain Biblically. He was soon after baptized into Christ. Two weeks later, he baptized his own wife, his three children, a close friend, and one children's fiance (all ranging from 15 to 25 years old). I've read such occurrences in scriptures, but this is the only time I can think of that I've actually met an entire family putting on Christ together. On our walk and later at the dinner table, the Zarate family and I talked about their hopes of planting a new congregation there in Zarate. The weekly bus trip for seven is pretty expensive for one, and for another, they want the Body to grow and Zarate is a prominant through-way to many places in this part of Argentina (even though the town itself is only the size of Abilene). In their town of 120K people, the population of actual Christians is significantly less than 1%. They think (and I agree) that it'd be a fantastic place with a bountiful harvest and great prospects for spreading. They already have a small group meeting in their house on Wednesdays. However, they are a little anxious about departing from the Caballito congregation and the close, secure bonds they've established there. They plan to attend for a while longer as they prepare. Please be praying for this family (the Magalu family) as they prepare for their own mission field in their home town. In the picture (right) is my name-twin, Roberto (down here, I am also called Roberto).

Thank you all for your prayers regarding my trip and the language barrier. God has been answering them and I've been able to communicate fairly well with the Magalu's, and even Elisha, despite different languages.

ELISHA

Elisha (13 y/o) and I spent Sunday evening through Wednesday morning together and had a grand time. Activities included video games, clue, and a game of monopoly that lasted approximately 7 hours straight. We also worked on pictures for a photo-display of the Caballito congregation and went to a Japanese garden. Unfortunately, he was 13 and so complained on occasion about the long walking. Fortunately, he actually enjoyed every bit of it and I could tell too! While in the Garden, there were two people dressed like anime characters. He wouldn't go near them, though Marissa and Maria Laura wanted a picture with them. He later saw in the photo that one of the characters was actually a girl and he thought she was pretty. We laughed and told him that if he had actually gone near them, he would have met her. He sulked like a 13y/o and we thought it was funny.

Elisha has been thinking about becoming a Christian. As I've mentioned before, his mother is a Christian and his father is young in the faith. His siblings are not and neither are most of his peers where he lives (1.5 hrs from the church building). While cutting out pictures, we talked a little about it. I shared with him the differences I've experienced between my life before and after pursuing Christ. I shared how before I felt alone and anxious about many things and now I know that I'm never alone, have true fellowship and have an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving Father that carries me through the anxieties. Of course I'm still often more anxious than I ought, but I can now have some peace in knowing that I'm being taken care of (2 Cor 9:6-15; Rom 8:28-39), and at the end of the day, everything is going to be okay. Others here are continuing to follow up with him and hopefully one day soon we'll have a new brother. Pray for his decision and that God provides him with good company and discernment. He has two very different sides pulling for him (one is the world; the other a Kingdom).

FRUSTRATIONS AND JOYS

Tom asked that I let people know how the frustrating things are going, as well as the joys, which I thought to be wise, since as wonderful as things are, there are some frustrations with the joys. The positive side of this is that I'm learning a good deal about patience and some of my own tendencies. The culture here is often selfish. This really isn't too surprising, as people generally do not know Jesus. When we don't have God at the center of our lives, we often tend to put ourselves at the center, or if we're really altruistic, PETA!

On Dec 30, 2004, there was a concert 5 blocks from where I live. The owner of the venue did not want to lose money on people sneaking in, so he chained the doors shut. When the club caught fire, 194 people (mostly kids) died. The owner faced almost no charges and his actions were empathized with by the Mayor of Buenos Aires, who blamed the fire department and building inspectors for an unsafe environment. I've seen this kind of greed first-hand since I've been here in corrupt businesses, bribery, human trafficing, muggings, ulterior motives and deceit. The picture (left) is of a part of a make-shift memorial; this part was painted on the side of the nightclub.

Jared and Karina told me that a big problem they've had with their small group is that people enjoy coming to group to eat, to make connections, and sometimes simply to cause trouble. When confronted with lacking commitment, antagonism, and/or condoning clearly sinful lifestyles, Jared and Karina have been told off and cursed out by people who previously had feigned friendship. One example was a man who attended their group for a while and was fairly antagonistic. They described him as similar to Abel in intellect and sophistication, except where as Abel is meek and humble, this guy was proud and condescending. One day he spoke up in the group on how we can find God through many means aside from Jesus and that further, it was acceptable to have extra-marital affairs. Jarred called him on this and he laughed. When confronted by Jared and another, older missionary, Glen Henton, the man was shocked exclaiming "I expected something like this from someone Jared's age, but not from you Glen!" There are many instances of this where people want Christ, but do not want to let go of the flavors of the world to which they have become accustomed. (John 14:15-21; Ps 143:6,10)

It's easy to become inwardly focused (rather than outwardly), and the more time I spend here, the more I feel like I'm able to see the effects of this culture on the people, and even the congregations here. Don't get me wrong, and think that I'm somehow above looking inwardly, rather than outwardly. I'm not. Even as I look towards future missions, I know that I will have to face things like the Berrymans and the Caballito congregation now, with the Magalu's going out for multiplication. I too will want to hold on to comfort as it's gained, and will not want to decrease the frequency of seeing close brothers and sisters. However, I know God blesses His work (Acts 1:8; Matt 28:16-20). We can take joy in knowing that multiplying does not sever ties, but rather builds more as a unified body. I've not lived full-time in Salisbury, NC for six years, but still some of my closest, dearest ties are to my family there and at the Jericho congregations.

The encouragements by far outweigh the frustrations and the mission is absolutely worth every bit of it. I'm here to learn about mission work and I'm certainly learning the good, the bad and the ugly of it. I praise God for that. In this short time I feel like I've learned and grown quite a bit. Actually, I'm thankful for the frustrations. Through them I've been learning patience and humility. I've started seeing ways that I've been selfish in my own life and areas where I've been inwardly focused, rather than serving others and promoting Kingdom growth. It's been a bit of a humbling experience.

One encouragement (and the last anecdote for this blog) is the following occurrence... This past Friday evening, Jared, Karina and I were invited to dinner at their neighbors' apartment. This was the first time Jared, Karina, and the two other couples from the same building had all gotten together. The neighbors were all either non-Christians, or frustrated name-only Catholics. They knew Jared and Karina had some sort of Christian faith, but didn't understand exactly what it was that they did and what this group they'd mentioned was... so they asked. Jared generally explained that they were trying to plant churches in Buenos Aires. The group was still thoroughly confused and left it at that. A few days later, one of the girls (a non-practicing Catholic) came to visit Karina and brought many questions with her. They talked for hours about what Christianity really was, what the church was supposed to be like. At the end, their friendship was stronger than ever and the girl (and perhaps her husband) are interested in checking out the group, and the Alpha Course. Please be praying for them and for the workers down here!

'When we don't have God at the center of our lives, we often tend to put ourselves at the center.' We know ourselves and inside each of us, we desire more than just this and more than just ourselves. The very fibers of our being long for God and people here want that. It's a battle, but so very many here are truly longing for their Father (Rom 8:18-27). The Gospel is spreading here, and somehow through all of it, God has been teaching me and growing me as well. It's pretty wonderful. Thank you all for sharing it with me, and thank you for your prayers. Grace and Peace.