by Stephanie Lim

God gave me the great joy of ministering to the people of barrio 24 de Septiembre with half of our LBC team for two days. He was so gracious to provide opportunities to share His love and mercy with many, some who were hardened to the message and others who had heard it for the very first time.

The dirt-road streets and humble homes were familiar to me, because I had walked the same paths last summer as well. One of the first ladies I shared the Gospel with mentioned that she remembered seeing me walk in front of her home last year, but we didn’t meet or talk at all. (I thought, “How did she remember my face?” But I guess it’s not every day that an Asian girl walks around a Tucumán neighborhood…) By God’s sovereignty, He led me to her home this year. At first I felt like she wanted me to leave because she said she had heard the Gospel before and was opposed to it, but after conversing with her for an hour, I praised God in my heart as she slowly began to acknowledge her sinfulness and need for a Savior.

What brought me so much joy though was seeing the vital role the local church (IBM) has in that neighborhood. They faithfully follow up with these people and provide ways for them to hear from God’s Word through activities and Bible studies. I went to another lady’s home because her daughter attends the weekly children’s program in the neighborhood hosted by IBM, and one of the church members had her contact information. God was so gracious to us, because as my translator and I were sharing with her, she wanted to learn more and more about the Gospel since this was the first time she had heard it in its entirety. In the afternoon, I introduced her to one of the older ladies from the church, who encouraged her to attend the weekly women’s meetings in the neighborhood to get to know and learn from more Christians.

This neighborhood is so precious to me because I witnessed God’s grace and kindness before my very eyes. Praise Him alone!