by Eugene Park

So on Sunday we had service in the park as we’ve typically done these past few years. First we sang some songs together. Then I went up and introduced a new song, “Jesus Thank You.” Yes, I know we sing this song back at home but I was able to get a translated copy of the song. The people of the church really enjoyed singing that song and how the truths of the lyrics helped them to understand the reasons why we should be thanking Jesus.

After singing that song together, I gave a sermon based on 1 Timothy 4:6-9, talking about the importance of being in spiritual shape for the purpose of godliness. I told them that it wouldn’t be easy. But in the same way that getting into physical shape isn’t easy, getting into spiritual shape takes hard work.

Afterwards we enjoyed a nice lunch of hamburgers with chimichurri. Then after that it was all about soccer. A few of us played with the Argentines and we had a lot of fun. Even the ladies got a match going with Naomi and Elisabeth diving in and playing with them. I’m sure we’ll be playing a lot more soccer before this trip is done.

In the evening there was a youth event. Josh got the opportunity to share his testimony and tried to encourage the youth to do all to the glory of God, even in things like sports and studying. Jonathan then shared a message on trusting in Christ. It was a nice reminder to all of us to trust in Christ in all situations.

The next day was July 9 which is Argentina’s independence day. On that day, Tucuman becomes the capital of Argentina because their declaration of independence was signed in Tucuman. It was a huge deal as the president of the country came to Tucuman to participate in all the festivities. (On a side note, this is why those air traffic controllers went on strike last week because they knew it would affect a lot of people trying to travel to Tucuman) There was a plan to go down to the 9 de Julio park and take in the parade. But for some reason the parade was cancelled. Instead we heard a parade go by our hotel, but they were protesting something. Sheesh, it seems like that’s all they do.

So that gave us a chance to hangout with the translators and get to know them. Some had just arrived that Monday morning on a 16 hour bus ride from BA so it was important to spend some time with them. We even treated all of them to ice cream. Even when the weather is cold, ice cream is always good.

That evening there was an event in the park where the youth did some sort of skit. Afterwards Cesar shared the gospel and then we all fanned out and started talking to people one on one and continued to share the gospel with them. It was nice to meet some of the people of the barrio and share the gospel with them. Hopefully some seeds were planted!

After dinner we went out into the central square with many members of the youth group and just walked around. Then someone got the bright idea to have ice cream a second time that day. So back we went, but this time with all the youth, to enjoy some ice cream together despite the chilly weather. And you know what? It was still good!

Today we start the campaign. We are praying that God would soften the hearts of people to hear the truth of His word. I hope you can join us in praying for that as well. You can also pray for the health of our team. Some are suffering from allergies and others are suffering from head colds and headaches. Carlos says he’s handing out the Advil like it’s candy. I figure that it’s because we are still trying to recover from the lack of sleep as a result of all the delays we’ve encountered. Hopefully this won’t affect us too much during the campaign. Thanks for reading! Hope to update you again by the end of the week.