by Pastor Patrick
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Today was our last full day in Tucuman, which means that it was our last day with the members of the church in general. When we leave for Buenos Aires tomorrow, some people will come to see us off, but we had to say goodbye to most of the church tonight. The day began with another 9:30am pick up from the church. Stephanie and Charis stayed back at the hotel because Charis was still feeling sick. The rest of the team headed back to the Catholic retreat site to meet up with the church.
In the morning session, I gave a message about the everyday practical ramifications of the gospel. The reception we have had to the teaching has been really encouraging. Many people have shared about how they have been challenged by the messages and are seeking already to put the principles into practice.
After the morning session, we had a long break before lunch. The men and ladies started their respective soccer games again, but most of the attention was at the volleyball court where a team of Americans and Argentines were assembled. Eugene, Roger, and I got to play with three of the Argentine guys and it was total domination. The church tried to put together teams strategically to overthrow our reign on the court, but they were unsuccessful. I suppose I should mention that it certainly helped that the net was pretty low, but even still, it was fun.
For lunch, the kitchen prepared rice with a savory meat sauce. It was muy rico especially with “the ministry” (a.k.a. Tabasco and Sriracha). Eugene Park and I have been sitting with a number of the young youth girls and getting to know them. It was fun today helping them practice their English and getting them to try hot sauce.
After lunch, we enjoyed more free time full of sports, great conversations, and an impromptu children’s program hosted by Josh Liu. Josh taught the children about the difference between “God’s way” choices and “my way” choices. It was a good time to help the kids understand the sinful condition of their hearts and to present the hope of the gospel which is the only way their hearts could change. After the teaching time, there was a wild and very loud time of games.
For the evening program, we split up the adults and the young singles once again. Josh Liu preached to the singles about “Treasuring Christ’s Sacrifice” from Philippians 2:5-11. It was a lesson about living a life that reflects a heart for the gospel. Afterwards, Ryan and Stephanie split up the young men and women and addressed significant contemporary issues and developing a biblical mindset. I had a chance to preach about conflict resolution and the Peacemaker Pledge. One of my goals was to really make today’s sermons as practical as possible so that the people would know what they could begin doing as a result of what they had learned.
After the evening program, Pastor Jorge led the group in a time of appreciation for the interpreters and for our team. Little children were sent out from the kitchen with small gifts for each one of us. It was really a great time of encouragement. Many people expressed their thanks and how much the weekend helped them in their walk with Christ. Even the translators told us how much they appreciated the lessons they learned while they translated for us. The evening ended with many hugs and kisses and seemingly endless picture taking, but it was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.