Beto and Liliana Barrionuevo

by Jennifer Shin

What I noticed about Beto and Liliana when I first met them four years ago was that they were very humble and gentlespirited. Beto would faithfully lead praise on the guitar during each service, Bible study, and meeting. Liliana would always greet and embrace us with a warm smile. They’ve been a married couple whom I have looked up to as an example of faithfulness from the very start.
Beto and Liliana first met during an evangelistic campaign, similar to what we have each year when we go on missions to Argentina. Beto was working in the neighborhood where Liliana was living and someone from his church invited her out to church. Beto’s friend introduced them. What Beto first noticed about Liliana was her dedication to and fellowship with God. What caught Liliana’s eye about Beto was that he had a tremendous heart for serving the Lord and people.
Their relationship started out as a friendship and Beto later started thinking about pursuing a relationship with her. He first prayed that he would be faithful to the things of God and then began praying for a relationship with Liliana. After he approached her with what he had been thinking and praying about, they prayed for six months to know if it was the will of God or not before they began dating. After two years of dating, they were married on July 17, 1993.
A typical day for the Barrionuevo family is very packed. Both Liliana and Beto wake up much earlier than their children do to start the day spending time with God. Beto then heads over to the government building to work as Liliana works hard at home as a homemaker, taking care of their three children. In the afternoons, they take their youngest child, Esteban, to the doctors due to health problems and to special teachers to help him learn. They are also very involved in the life of the church as they are leading Bible studies at barrio 24 de Septiembre and discipling many people in that area. When they are not working or tending to their children, Beto and Liliana are meeting with pastor Jorge and Norma, meeting with other couples for discipleship, or studying to prepare for the Bible studies and children’s programs. Liliana stated, “The weekends are dedicated to all the church activities.”
One of the challenges that Beto faces is being an example, both as a father and as a leader at the church. He understands that he must put effort into his own life. He knows that God is working in him, but also realizes that he needs to make God-honoring decisions as he provides protection, advice, and counsel for the people around him.
Liliana finds it a challenge to prepare herself in working with the women at 24 de Septiembre. As she finds herself busy day-in day-out, she sees the need to read and study God’s Word more. She stated, “That’s why I am always praying to God because women are always coming to me for counsel. And at home, it’s the same because I’m ministering to my children.”
Beto and Liliana have asked us to pray for their family and that each one of them, including their children (Ana, Elie, Esteban), would have the desire to love and serve God. They are also asking God to provide them with a home as they are living with Beto’s parents at the moment. They have also been invited to study at Word of Life, the Bible institute in Buenos Aires, but are unsure of whether they are able to or not. Please pray that Beto would receive special permission to study at Word of Life for a year and be able to return to his job after.
To the Lighthouse church family, they want to say that all the people who have come in the past four years to share the gospel with the Argentines have tremendously encouraged them – they see the love that you all have for the people there. They hope that everyone remembers what they did in Argentina and that they would do the same with as much fervor back in the States. They also want to say thank you to everyone at the church for supporting those who were able to serve in Argentina this year. They know that the team wouldn’t have been there without the support of the church.

What I noticed about Beto and Liliana when I first met them four years ago was that they were very humble and gentlespirited. Beto would faithfully lead praise on the guitar during each service, Bible study, and meeting. Liliana would always greet and embrace us with a warm smile. They’ve been a married couple whom I have looked up to as an example of faithfulness from the very start.

Beto and Liliana first met during an evangelistic campaign, similar to what we have each year when we go on missions to Argentina. Beto was working in the neighborhood where Liliana was living and someone from his church invited her out to church. Beto’s friend introduced them. What Beto first noticed about Liliana was her dedication to and fellowship with God. What caught Liliana’s eye about Beto was that he had a tremendous heart for serving the Lord and people.

Their relationship started out as a friendship and Beto later started thinking about pursuing a relationship with her. He first prayed that he would be faithful to the things of God and then began praying for a relationship with Liliana. After he approached her with what he had been thinking and praying about, they prayed for six months to know if it was the will of God or not before they began dating. After two years of dating, they were married on July 17, 1993.

A typical day for the Barrionuevo family is very packed. Both Liliana and Beto wake up much earlier than their children do to start the day spending time with God. Beto then heads over to the government building to work as Liliana works hard at home as a homemaker, taking care of their three children. In the afternoons, they take their youngest child, Esteban, to the doctors due to health problems and to special teachers to help him learn. They are also very involved in the life of the church as they are leading Bible studies at barrio 24 de Septiembre and discipling many people in that area. When they are not working or tending to their children, Beto and Liliana are meeting with pastor Jorge and Norma, meeting with other couples for discipleship, or studying to prepare for the Bible studies and children’s programs. Liliana stated, “The weekends are dedicated to all the church activities.”

One of the challenges that Beto faces is being an example, both as a father and as a leader at the church. He understands that he must put effort into his own life. He knows that God is working in him, but also realizes that he needs to make God-honoring decisions as he provides protection, advice, and counsel for the people around him.

Liliana finds it a challenge to prepare herself in working with the women at 24 de Septiembre. As she finds herself busy day-in day-out, she sees the need to read and study God’s Word more. She stated, “That’s why I am always praying to God because women are always coming to me for counsel. And at home, it’s the same because I’m ministering to my children.”

Beto and Liliana have asked us to pray for their family and that each one of them, including their children (Ana, Elie, Esteban), would have the desire to love and serve God. They are also asking God to provide them with a home as they are living with Beto’s parents at the moment. They have also been invited to study at Word of Life, the Bible institute in Buenos Aires, but are unsure of whether they are able to or not. Please pray that Beto would receive special permission to study at Word of Life for a year and be able to return to his job after.

To the Lighthouse church family, they want to say that all the people who have come in the past four years to share the gospel with the Argentines have tremendously encouraged them – they see the love that you all have for the people there. They hope that everyone remembers what they did in Argentina and that they would do the same with as much fervor back in the States. They also want to say thank you to everyone at the church for supporting those who were able to serve in Argentina this year. They know that the team wouldn’t have been there without the support of the church.