by Eugene Park

Any team member will tell you that there is so much joy in going to Argentina and ministering down there. Every year that we see them it’s like we’re coming home to family. The years that we’ve spent developing relationships with them have helped foster this feeling. But the true bond we have is our bond in Christ. It’s such a joy to be able to minister to and alongside the same people each year.

One of our main objectives down there was to help them with their campaigns in the barrios of UTA, SMATA, 24 de Septiembre, Juan Pablo Primero, and San Pablo. The team worked really hard to evangelize to these communities. During the day we went door to door sharing the gospel and in the evenings we had special evening programs filled with gospel centered movies, skits, and a gospel presentation. I really appreciated the team effort in reaching out to the people there. During the evening programs, every member of the team was engaged in conversation with the locals. The heart they had in sharing the gospel was so encouraging to see.

Another objective of the trip was to minister to the church. As we’ve done in past years, we brought resources and books to help the church leaders. But this year, we had a chance to minister to the church members as well. Apparently, the girls in the youth group have had issues lately regarding gossip and friendship. So Norma (Pastor Jorge’s wife) asked if our ladies could take the youth girls and counsel them. So we set aside two afternoon sessions over the weekend for our ladies to mentor them through small groups.

Kent and Romi also had an opportunity to counsel a couple who weren’t married but had a child and lived together. The man would occasionally come out to church because his brother is a church member. But one of the Sundays he came with his child and the child’s mother. Kent and Romi took the opportunity to speak with them individually and challenge them in their beliefs and lifestyle. Hopefully God does a lasting work in their hearts.

Over the years I’ve come to realize that this trip is more than just evangelism—it actually fulfills our MVP statement. We’re making disciples of Christ through our efforts. We’re assisting the local church in planting churches in the different neighborhoods. Because very few people actually own a car, getting around is difficult. That’s why planting churches in each of the neighborhoods is important to Pastor Jorge. And we also show our love for God and people through the sharing of His Word, the centrality of Christ in everything we do, and the reaching out to the people of Tucuman.

Being team leader this year caused this trip to be a lot more stressful for me than in years past. In the past I would rely on the decisions made by Mike Chon or Pastor Patrick and support them fully. But this year I was the one who had to make the final decisions, knowing that my decisions affected the whole team and I would be accountable to the elders for my decisions. It really helped that the team supported me through the whole trip. I am very thankful for this year’s team. They were a joy to work with and I hope to see many of them go back to Argentina again next year.

Dios te bendiga!