By Stephanie McAdams

Praise the Lord, our team arrived back to San Diego safely just a few weeks ago! Though it was my fifth time participating in the missions trip to Argentina, it was my first time as a full-time mom (the last time I went, I was pregnant).

Someone asked me a few days ago if our family would have done it all again if we knew that our daughter Charis would get so ill. (She caught some nasty stomach flu, possibly on the plane traveling to Argentina which wiped her out for the majority of our time in Argentina. Ryan and I both got sick towards the end of the trip too.) So I stood there, still feeling weak from the bug I had, thinking for a while how to respond. And as tears started to fill my eyes, the only reply that was truthful was… “Of course”. Their response was a look of surprise, because I had just described how scared I was, trying to take care of a constantly vomiting baby for a few days who looked like she was going to pass out from dehydration (in a foreign country, mind you). But, honestly, Ryan and I would have done it all again. Why? Because we love the Iglesia Biblica Misionera (IBM) church family in Tucuman, Argentina as if they were our own family. We desire to encourage them to love Christ and live for Him more and more, whatever the cost. We recognize the great need IBM has for fellowship and encouragement from other like-minded churches, which is rare in Argentina.

Though I was out of commission for a good chunk of the trip to take care of Charis, which is my main responsibility (and joy) no matter where I am, God provided some conversations and pockets of time to spend with some of the church ladies of all ages and stages of life. In particular, I was looking forward to encouraging the youth and single gals of the church through one-on-one conversations and a time of teaching on various topics like beauty in God’s eyes, finding identity and security in Christ (and not Prince Charming), and God’s design for marriage and the role of a wife. By God’s grace, He provided opportunities to chat with a few gals and teach the youth and single ladies as a group one of the evening sessions when Charis was not throwing up. Though it was difficult for me personally to battle feelings of discouragement and being so distracted with concern for Charis’ health, God used one conversation in particular with an older mom of the church at the beginning of the trip to, in a sense, prepare me for the unforeseen challenges.

For the past seven years, God has given me a special relationship with a particular mother at the church. From my first conversation with her in 2007, she poured out her life to me. Raising three children as a single mom, working long hours to provide financially, and trying to serve at church as well (though never as much as she wanted to). She longed for various family members, who wanted nothing to do with God and His gospel, to see the beauty of Christ. I would listen and weep silently with her as she would share about her daughter, around my age, who year after year indulged in a life full of sin and pleasures of this world. I remember receiving a letter from her last year, with nothing more than a plea to keep praying for her family, especially her daughter.

When I saw her at the beginning of this trip, she pulled me aside as I was rocking Charis to sleep, and her countenance had changed… There was light in her eyes and an indescribable joy and peace. With tears streaming down her face, she began to update me on her life. God answered years and years of unceasing prayers- her sister’s and daughter’s heart softening toward God, different work hours to be at home with her sons more, closer relationship with her younger son, godly growth in her older son. But the greatest change had happened in her heart and perspective. She learned to let go of her desire to control her family’s life and not get so discouraged at her perceived failures in her various roles. She learned to trust in God with humble dependence daily. She learned to delight in Christ, and let His love compel her to persevere as His servant in any circumstance.

As much as I had hoped to encourage her, she then proceeded to exhort me as a young mom. She knows me pretty well, having physically seen me at my various life stages. Perhaps she could sense my insecurities as a first time mom? It’s true, from time to time I have found myself struggling to balance my roles as a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, etc., to point them all to Christ as much as I can, with joy and peace instead of discontentment and guilt.

Of all the things she could have told me, I’m so thankful that she reminded me to pray and trust God in all my God-given roles. She learned from years of experience that she can not control people nor circumstances, but instead humbly depend on God for help and trust He does all for our good and His glory. Funny thing was, these were truths my own parents have reminded me time and time again for as long as I can remember. They caution me against finding my worth and righteousness in my works, and instead to fear and worship Him, seeking to faithfully and humbly obey His commands out of love and gratefulness for the Cross. So, this mom jogged my memory of my own primary disciplers’ (my parents) wise counsels to me!

And she specifically encouraged me to invest in Charis with my time and to cover her in prayers, trusting that God has our children in His grasp. It was at this moment our conversation abruptly ended as Charis awoke, and just from looking into her eyes, I knew that something was not right. As I took her out of the stroller, she vomited all over me, and thus began the next few days of intense illness for Charis. I thanked God for His grace to provide this timely heart to heart with this dear sister, whose example to me of submitting to God’s will and being faithful to pray unceasingly for her family saved me from utter discouragement and despair in the days to come, especially when I feared for Charis’ life. Though I still struggled in my heart a lot as her condition got worse, God’s truths I gleaned from this small conversation stuck with me, and I begged God to help me believe them.

Some might say the trip was not worth it, for me and Charis to go, if I spent so much time taking care of Charis instead of with the church family. It’s true, I personally talked to fewer ladies this time than previous trips. But I really did desire to encourage them as much as possible. Proverbs 16:9 reminds me that “the heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” As much as I tried to prepare Charis for weeks before leaving (practicing sleeping in a portable tent and a baby carrier, packing a lot of packaged baby foods) and keep her away from germs, she still didn’t sleep well and got sick. As much as I wanted to spend time talking to the IBM ladies, my daughter needed my care and attention.

In this season of my life, God has called me to be a wife and mom, leaning completely on Him for grace and strength. Realistically, ministry to others looks different now than the time before my daughter came. I am learning that this doesn’t mean I am less effective in ministering to others. Sure, on some days, I am home with Charis, making and feeding her meals, wiping her runny nose, singing and dancing, examining the details of a flower with her, reminding her to obey me, or holding her tightly after a fall. I pray that Charis, my life-long disciple, would see Christ in all these “little” things on these days.

But then other days, Charis and I are going for walks while chatting with college gals, reaching out to unsaved neighbors, meeting up with other mom-baby pairs, attending church events and meetings, or flying to Argentina. On these days, I pray that Charis would see my joy in sharing the gospel of Christ to the lost and building up those who truly know Him.

I pray others would be encouraged and challenged in their walks with God as they watch me love my family, but I need to trust even that to God and focus on having the right heart attitude. Psalm 51:17 reminds me that “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

It was our family’s joy to go to Argentina this summer to minister to IBM church. We hope to go again for the sake of encouraging fellow believers and dear friends. But for now, I seek to live each day in humble trust and dependence on God, as I look to love Ryan and Charis and others.

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of a series of articles being provided by the 2013 Argentina short-term missions team announced here.

by Ryan McAdams

The doctor stared at me, expectantly.

My wife was staring at me. My baby cried on her lap. The clock had passed midnight.

Through a translator, the doctor had asked me, “Shall we inject her?” And now, I had to decide.

Leading to this decision, we had to decide to leave the church at our meeting site and venture to the doctor’s office and then the hospital at ten at night. We had to decide to leave because we had decided to re-join the church earlier in the evening after deciding in the morning that my wife and sick baby should stay at the hotel to rest. In addition to all of that, we had decided to take this trip in the first place.

So, who should receive the blame for the circumstances in which we found ourselves? Do I blame the baby for her weakness? Do I blame my wife for her strong desire to re-join the church for that final meeting? Do I blame the team for pushing us physically? Do I blame Argentina for its unsanitary environment? Do I blame God?

No! If God has given me the role of head of my family and I intend to fulfill that role, then the responsibility and blame for these decisions lie on me.

I struggled throughout the trip with my desire to assign blame as a result of our difficulties. Bags too heavy? Why did my wife have to pack so much? (I could have told her that we needed to pack less [and then helped her!] beforehand.) Baby not sleeping well? Why didn’t the leaders schedule more breaks? (Solely by virtue of joining the team, we knew this would probably happen.) Even in my life here, I battle with the same train of thinking. Running late? Why did my co-worker have to start talking with me as I was leaving? (I could have politely excused myself [or impolitely, and then have other consequences with which to contend] or have prepared to leave earlier to account for things like this.) Feeling spiritual disconnect within the family? Why do other people have so many activities and demand so much of my time? (If I really value our spiritual lives, then I can step away from other activities that interfere with that time.) In every case, I have the option of blaming others or accepting responsibility for the present state.

But, why should I accept responsibility? To answer this, we can start with the first human, Adam. Eve ate from the tree, gave some to Adam, and then God asked Adam to explain himself. Adam attempts to absolve himself completely when he responds, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. (Genesis 3:12) He implies that Eve made him eat, but he even also adds a subtle jab at God with the sneaky reminder that God gave him this irresistible temptress. I need to resist the temptation to blame Adam for my tendency to blame others here, but let’s just say that I fail in good company. So, what does God do? Does God tell Adam, Oh, you’re right! Eve, I’m holding you responsible for this whole mess, and Adam, I’m sorry for giving her to you. No! God holds Adam responsible not just for eating the apple by himself, but for allowing Eve to eat as well!

Solomon saw this attitude enough to pen a proverb about it. Proverbs 19:3 says When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. This cuts straight to the point. If I believe God is sovereign (and I do), any blame I point outside of myself will inevitably rest on God. But, Solomon clearly places the blame on the man.

Even to come to Christ, one of the first steps involves taking responsibility for your own sin, and realizing that you do deserve condemnation for it. The beauty of the gospel is that Christ took the punishment the sinner rightfully deserved and that God doesn’t hold that sinner responsible any more! This incredible reversal leads to incredible gratitude precisely because that forgiven sinner understands the magnitude of his responsibility before Christ took it.

All throughout the Bible, God holds man responsible for his sin and the decisions that he makes. And yet, I see in my heart, and all around me in the world this attitude of self-victimization and evasion of responsibility. Throughout my time as the head of my own family, I’ve struggled (and grown, thanks to God) in this area, and our time in Argentina helped me reflect even more on this truth as I had to confront my own thoughts in various circumstances there.

Ladies, I hope you can mine some helpful truth from these thoughts, but I have targeted men in particular for two reasons. First, I have found that many of us seem to share this struggle.

But secondly, and probably more importantly, God has called men to lead, whether in the home or in the church, and people have all sorts of ideas about how leadership looks (or ideas about manliness). Some of these ideas come from the Bible; many do not. But, I can confidently say that the idea of handling responsibility does come from the Bible, and that many young men pursuing manliness overlook this aspect of leadership.

It is my hope that those men younger than me would learn this more quickly than me, and that we would all grow in our humility, which according to the apostle Paul, is the attitude that Christ exemplified.

I give God much thanks for the trip he allowed me, my family, and my church to take to Argentina this year, for the lessons in responsibility I learned, but also for the joy and fellowship we experienced with the church in Tucuman and within our own family as well.

To conclude the story, I authorized the doctor to inject my daughter. They also prescribed her some medicine to quell her vomiting, which worked for the remainder of the trip. The church and translators showed us much hospitality, even in the sixteen hours between the hospital visit and our plane flight to leave. We were able to return home safely, and have no regrets about choosing to take the trip.

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of a series of articles being provided by the 2013 Argentina short-term missions team announced here.

By Pastor Patrick Cho

One of the greatest joys for me personally when I visit Tucuman is simply sitting with Pastor Jorge and talking with him about ministry. I suppose it’s easy to adopt a mentality that we are going to Argentina to teach the Argentines about ministry and the Bible. But when I sit with Pastor Jorge, I realize that I am in the company of someone who has years of experience in a ministry environment that is arguably much more difficult. Every time I have visited Tucuman I have gained a wealth of wisdom listening to his “war stories.” Besides the value of the insights that I receive, I am grateful for the camaraderie and fellowship we enjoy in the Lord. One year, we sat out on the church patio together with a guitar and took turns singing songs of praise. Neither of us knew what the other was singing, but it didn’t matter because we were singing to the Lord.

This year, our team was invited to Pastor Jorge and Norma’s house for lunch. This has become somewhat of an annual tradition to go over and enjoy a hearty beef rib BBQ out on his front lawn. The food is great but the company is better. It is such a blessing to spend a day with the Ahualles, to see them interact as a family and to benefit from their warm hospitality. Even through an afternoon of relaxation and hanging out, I am challenged by their example of hospitality and love.

One of the goals our team has on our summer trips is to be a blessing to the church leaders in Tucuman. Pastor Jorge and the leadership team of IBM Tucuman work tirelessly to minister to their church family and the surrounding barrios. The community where they reside is riddled with drug use, physical abuse and violence, drunkenness, and even murder. Meeting with people to address issues of the heart is constantly exhausting and the leaders there have to carry the burdens of the people with them. I’m sure at times it is easy to become discouraged. Pastor Jorge has shared on a number of occasions that it is particularly difficult when church members seek to hurt and attack. I’ll never forget his helpful illustration – It’s always more bearable to suffer the bite of a wolf because you know that the wolf is out to hurt you, but the bite of a sheep is especially painful because you never expect one of your sheep to bite you.

It isn’t even just with Pastor Jorge but with the other leaders as well. Beto Barrionuevo has become a dear friend over the years, and I have really come to appreciate the conversations we have had about ministry as well. I’m struck by his humility as he asks me for advice about certain ministry issues. Like Pastor Jorge, he is older than I am with many more years of experience. But he is eager to grow and learn. He loves the church and wants it to be as strong as possible, but also confesses that at times it is extremely difficult.

When we go to Argentina, we make it a point to encourage these leaders in any way we can. We support them financially, provide books and resources, and bring them gifts for their family. We want them to know that there is a church on the opposite hemisphere who cares and is praying for them. I know how difficult and disheartening ministry can be and how much these men can sometimes feel like they are on an island to fend for themselves. The relationships we have built over the years have been a tremendous blessing and joy, and the trust that has developed between us has been equally strong.

This year, when we left Tucuman and arrived in Buenos Aires, we were taken to the pastoral training center that was established by Eduardo and Matias Buldain. The center is actually located at their home in San Justo, about a half hour drive outside the city center. About six young men were there to take an exam and Eduardo asked if I would be willing to share a devotional with them in the morning. Understanding how these men were being invested in and the kind of training they were receiving really encouraged me. I was thrilled to hear that one of the classes they would be taking was on expository preaching because there is such a dearth of good preaching in Argentina.

It was a huge privilege to address these men and encourage them from the Word. What was especially neat was that one of them was a member from the church in Tucuman studying to enter pastoral ministry. All this reminded me of one of the major reasons for our return each summer. This nation is starving for the gospel and solid biblical truth and there are a handful of faithful men seeking to minister to the people there. We have such an awesome opportunity to be a part of it even in a small way. We can encourage these leaders to press on in the work and to be faithful to their calling. Praise God for this wonderful opportunity!

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of a series of articles being provided by the 2013 Argentina short-term missions team announced here.

By Josh Liu

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them (Romans 12:4-6a)

If you have been at Lighthouse Bible Church for any length of time, you might have heard missions described as “‘doing church’ somewhere else.” To briefly explain, the believer’s mission is to make disciples of Christ through the vehicle of the local church because of love for God and love for people (cf. Matt. 16:18; 22:37-40; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8); this mission ought to be the focal point for all believers everywhere. Thus, what we seek to accomplish here in San Diego we seek to accomplish on our missions trips – “doing church” somewhere else. Indeed, it truly is a special opportunity and an amazing experience for a church to send its members to meet a church in another hemisphere for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Still, overseas disciple making presents some unique obstacles; one in particular is the language barrier.

For many southern Californians, proficient fluency in a second or third language may be uncommon. While many of my peers (myself included) studied Spanish in high school, their language skills have since then deteriorated. For our missions trips to Tucuman, Argentina, a portion of our financial support goes toward translators’ transportation, meals, and so on. In previous trips, there was need for a 1:1 missionary to translator ratio in conducting an evangelism campaign with Iglesia Biblica Misionera (Missionary Bible Church, or IBM) in Tucuman. This year, the team focused on encouraging and teaching the members of IBM, which required fewer translators. Nevertheless, the translators were an integral part of our ministry to and relationship with IBM. Here are the main translators for the 2013 Argentina missions team:

Left to right: Martín, Pablo, me, Wanda, Florencia

Daniela

I had the privilege of getting to know new translators and catching up with old ones; some are part of the church (i.e. Pablo), some returned to visit and made themselves available to us (i.e. Wanda); and some were completely new to IBM (i.e. Martín, Florencia, Daniela). These translators volunteered and graciously served us. They each have different backgrounds, different experiences, different gifts, but all supported our team’s goal of encouraging, discipling, and serving IBM. Translating is incredibly difficult and draining! Martín and Pablo translated our main messages–between Pastor Patrick, Roger, and me, we preached 10 times. Pablo and Daniela helped me with a children’s program; Martín, Florencia, and Wanda helped me in my personal interactions and conversations with church members. I was thoroughly encouraged by their servant’s attitude. Praise God for how He brings together different members of the body of Christ to further His Kingdom!

While my focus and ministry were aimed at IBM, I had the opportunity to encourage and serve some of our translators. Knowing my background in TESOL and experiences with international students, Pablo, Daniela, and I talked about English language education in Argentina and how it can be a means of ministry both inside and outside the church. Perhaps the highlight of my time with the translators is exchanging testimonies of how God graciously saved us.

The testimony of God’s saving grace to Florencia (shared with permission): her brother, Martín was saved first from her family at a Christian camp. Over time, their whole family eventually began going to church. Florencia remembers attending church since she was nine years old. However, she shared that she was saved when she was 14 years old, two years ago. She was walking to school early one morning when a van suddenly pulled up to her. She was pushed into the van and kidnapped! Her kidnappers began asking her a series of questions and eventually learned that they kidnapped the wrong person. During that time, Florencia thought, “If I were to die, what would happen to me?” She prayed to God and trusted Him with her life. Shockingly, the kidnappers let her go. She found the church that she used to attend nearby and was taken to school where she met with school officials, her parents, and the police. Her attitude towards life now has completely changed. She shares that despite any circumstances, even life threatening events, she always has hope in Christ’s death and resurrection. Now, she seeks to love Christ more and serve Him in everything she does.

It is incredible to witness God’s work in another person’s life and to be blessed by the fruit that is bore.  It is a privilege to serve alongside another member of Christ’s body for the furthering of His Kingdom purposes. It is a blessing to encourage and edify other parts of the body, even unexpected parts not usually connected to the local body of IBM. Let us pray for these translators–for their faith and ministry–who helped us “do church” somewhere else.

Editor’s note: This is a continuation of a series of articles being provided by the 2013 Argentina short-term missions team announced here.

by Eugene Park

Throughout the years I’ve gone to Argentina, my role has changed. Some years I just go as a team member. Other years I go as the team leader. But one role that has never changed is being the music guy. Each year I try to bring down new music that they can learn and continue to sing even after we leave. What the members of the Tucuman church learn through the teaching time is extremely important. But what is often overlooked is the learning that can also happen through the singing of biblically centered songs that sing the truths of the gospel. This is why I take my role as the music guy seriously, both at home and abroad. Lyrics in music have the opportunity to teach biblical truth. That’s why I’m so thankful for ministries like Sovereign Grace Music that seeks to produce gospel centered songs that the church can sing. In recent years they have produced albums in Spanish. These songs have been a mix of translated songs from English that we sing at LBC and songs written in Spanish. These albums have been a tremendous help to me as I’ve been able to take these songs down to Argentina and share them with the church. Sovereign Grace also puts the music sheets online for free download.

When we arrived in Tucuman, a handful of people kept coming up to me and asking if I had new songs for them. I don’t remember this happening in previous years. But that encouraged me because it showed that they have been enjoying the songs that I’ve been bringing and they wanted more of the same. And during the singing times led by Beto (music leader at the Tucuman church), they would often sing songs that we had taught them in previous years.

I feel a special kinship with Beto as we’re both the music leaders of our churches. Each year we spend time together talking about music, going through songs, and helping each other with our respective ministries. I really appreciate the faithfulness he’s shown over the years. We have seen leaders come and go from the church in Tucuman but he’s been there from the very beginning.

During the teaching sessions throughout the week, we would start out with some singing time led by Beto and someone else. Then they would call me up to sing and teach them a couple of songs. This year I prepared the songs La Gloria de la Cruz (The Glories of the Cross), Gracias Cristo (Jesus, Thank You), Mi Vida es Cristo (All I Have is Christ), Venga Tu Reino (Let Your Kingdom Come), and Contempla A Dios (Behold Our God). All these songs came from the Sovereign Grace album Eres Dios. The church in Tucuman loves to sing so they learned these songs quickly and were soon belting them out. One of the blessings of being up in front is that everyone is facing me and so I get to hear (and sometimes feel) the full brunt of everyone singing.

Equipping them for ministry has always been a priority and it’s no different with the music. This year we left them with a few Eres Dios CD’s as well as the songsheets for all the songs. We give them all the songsheets in case there are other songs on the CD they want to sing.

While I didn’t do any “official” teaching in Tucuman, I know that people were still taught Scripture through the music. I hope they will continue to learn and be shaped by the gospel through the music. Now I gotta figure out what to sing next year!

Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of articles being provided by the 2013 Argentina short-term missions team announced here.

by Richard Shin

Coming on the heels of the Argentina short-term missions trip, there are a number of exciting items to highlight here around the Beacon.

1. First off, I would like to remind you that there is an Argentina missions report night coming this Sunday, August 11 at church 5:30-8pm. Be there to get a full report of how God worked through our team to minister to the members of IBM and how the team was encourages themselves through the experience as well. Food will be served!
2. Some of the members on the team are going to be giving us a personal take on something they’ve learned and experienced while in Argentina. So stay tuned the weeks to come for those articles. Here are the links to their articles:
   • Eugene Park
   • Josh Liu
   • Pastor Patrick Cho
   • Ryan McAdams
   • Stephanie McAdams
   • Roger Alcaraz
   • Grace Alcaraz
3. I want to take this opportunity to remind you of the four journal entries Pastor Patrick posted of the team’s time in Argentina. You can find them in order here, here, here, and here.
4. And while we’re at it, let me also remind you of the past Argentina teams’ trips we’ve been able to capture here on the Beacon. You can find the articles in reverse chronological order here.

As you can see, while the trip itself is over, there is plenty to do and read in regards to the missions trip. Let us continue to be fervent in prayer for the brethren in Tucuman. Stay tuned for those reflection articles. See you on Sunday!

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.

by Pastor Patrick

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The team got an earlier start this morning since the plan was to spend the entire day at a place across town. Pastor Jorge came to pick us up around 9:30am and we met up with the church at a Catholic-owned retreat site. We began the morning with worship and Josh Liu taught from Luke 10:38-42 about the priorities of Martha and Mary. It was a nice time of worship together and another opportunity to instruct the church continuing on the theme of “First Love.”

After the morning worship time, lunch was served. Today, it was meat loaf with a side of rice. It’s been a lot of fun watching the locals try Tabasco sauce and Sriracha. Some of them have really taken to spicy food, but others have definitely been repulsed by the heat. Once lunch was over, we had an afternoon of free time and sports.

It was a real blessing being able to sit and chat during the free time with numerous people from the church. Still, it was heart breaking to hear of some who had fallen away from the faith to pursue the things of the world. Some parents also shared about difficulties and struggles they have been having with children who have been getting drunk or taking drugs. One mother in particular recently became a Christian and now is living with a family who doesn’t believe. Her husband refuses to listen to her especially when she shares the gospel, and her children don’t want to live at home. Instead they want to be with their friends taking drugs and drinking. It was so painful trying to encourage her to persevere in faith and prove to be a godly example of Christian character to her family.

Free time also meant we had time for soccer and volleyball. The men asked if I wanted to play soccer, but I tried to express how “unfortunate” it was and how “disappointed” I was that I didn’t wear the right clothes for sports. I watched them play for a little while and then headed up to play a few games of volleyball. The ladies in the adjacent field also had a game of soccer going, and it was pretty fun watching them all run around celebrating in an exaggerated way after every goal. After one goal, one of them even paraded around the entire field holding a water bottle as if it was a trophy.

After the free time, we met for the evening session. I preached to the adults about the responsibilities of parenting from Colossians 3:20, and especially about implementing loving and godly discipline with their children. I was overcome with emotion as the various parents came to mind who shared about the struggles they were having with their children. I just told the group that I would preach as long as was necessary because of the importance of the topic. Afterward, we even had a brief time of Q&A.

At the same time as the evening session, Josh Liu took the singles and youth to talk about “The Judgment of God” from Romans 2:1-5. Originally, Ryan and Stephanie McAdams were going to help with a split session between the guys and gals to provide testimony and instruction for the young adults, but Charis had become ill and so the family returned to the hotel. Instead, Roger Alcaraz shared with the guys about the consequences of the choices made in life and also about God-honoring repentance. Grace Alcaraz spoke to the ladies about modesty.

When the evening session ended, we had dinner together. Dinner consisted of pasta in tomato sauce with chunks of beef. They served this with bread. It was a very filling meal and super tasty. I resolved to exercise self-control and refuse seconds, and this became very difficult when I found out they were serving large chunks of steak along with the pasta for seconds. But with the Lord’s enabling, I was able to resist. Eugene Park and I had a great time conversing with two youth gals over dinner, one who was very new to the church. The new gal, Ana, mentioned that she had heard a lot about our team and how she was glad to finally meet us in person.

After dinner, we had more time to interact with the members of the church. It’s hard to believe that we only have one more full day with the church before heading off to Buenos Aires! Time really has passed by very quickly. Please pray for little Charis as she recovers from her illness. Please pray for the team that we would make good use of the time we have left with the church. And please pray that God would accomplish much good in the church through the teaching times and fellowship.

by Pastor Patrick

Friday, July 12, 2013

The team was happy to sleep in this morning since our transport didn’t arrive until 10:00 am. We got to spend most of the day together with the Ahualle family at their home. As usual, Norma prepared a delicious late breakfast and lunch for us, and we all had as much asado (gloriously fatty beef rib meat) as we could handle. We were joined by Beto and Liliana Barrionuevo and their family. Beto serves as one of the leaders of the church. I was thankful for some wonderful conversations with Pastor Jorge and Liliana about ministry in general. It was a great time of mutual encouragement.

After lunch, we spent the siesta (afternoon break) back at the hotel where we could rest up for the long evening. We headed back to the church around 6:30pm for the first of two general sessions together. After Eugene Park introduced some new songs to the church, Roger Alcaraz gave the first of the sermons from 1 Peter 3:13-16 entitled “A Living Testimony that Speaks.” We took about a twenty minute intermission with coffee and facturas (pastries), and met again for the second session. There was more singing and then I was able to preach from 2 Corinthians 3:18 about “Making God Big.”

After the evening sessions, we cleared out the room and got it set up for dinner. Dinner was served around 11:00pm. This has been typical for times in Argentina. It’s amazing how late people stay up (and the kids, too!), but it was a great time of fellowship together. For dessert, the servers from the kitchen brought out oranges. Immediately, Eugene Park suspected we would engage in our traditional orange peel fight, and of course we did. We enjoyed a wonderful and long day of ministry, encouragement, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters here in Tucuman. Praise the Lord!

by Pastor Patrick

Thursday, July 11, 2013

It really is great being back in Tucuman and being able to see everyone from the church! After a long day of travel, we arrived in Tucuman to familiar faces and loving embraces. We began the day at Lighthouse early in the morning. The team met at 6:30am to load up the van and prepare for our departure. Members of the church came by around 7:00am, and it was an encouraging time of prayer and send off. We drove up to LAX without facing any major traffic and were pleased to learn that our flight out to Houston would be departing on time.

Once in Houston, we enjoyed a leisurely layover and had a chance to grab dinner at the airport. Unfortunately, our flight to Buenos Aires was delayed by about an hour, but this was far better than previous years where flights were cancelled altogether! Once in the air, the team was pleased to find that the entertainment system onboard was pretty high tech. (There were over 200 movies to choose from!) We landed over an hour after our scheduled arrival time which made us rush from the international airport to the local airport for the last leg of our trip to Tucuman.

The scene at the local airport in Buenos Aires was pretty crazy. There were two extremely long lines that basically filled the terminal. We were sure there was some strike or crisis going on, but a local friend who met us at the airport assured us that this was normal for Argentina. We patiently made it through the line to the counter only to find that the airline bumped us to a later flight because we were too late for the one we were assigned to. Still, we were relieved to have received our boarding passes and checked our luggage without a hitch and without any exorbitant luggage fees. When we arrived in Tucuman, we were about two hours later than expected, but the team arrived safely and we had all our luggage. It was great to arrive at least on our scheduled date especially since that was something the team was praying for. We knew our time this year in Tucuman would be significantly shorter, so we didn’t want to spend the night at the airport like in previous years. Praise God for His provision!

We were taken to our hotel and quickly checked in and dropped off our luggage. From there, we visited a house in one of the local barrios where we were served empanadas. Needless to say, we were very happy about the meal. From dinner, we were transported to the church building where we found the members worshipping together and awaiting our arrival.

Pastor Jorge took some time to introduce our team, and we got a good laugh out of Eugene Park’s rock star status in Tucuman. What an ovation! After our team introductions, I had the opportunity to preach from Revelation 2:1-7 about the Christian’s “First Love.” Many people shared that they were encouraged and blessed by the message. Afterwards there was a time of fellowship over coffee and cake, and our team members were able to catch up with all the familiar faces here at Iglesia Biblica Misionera in Tucuman.

We are now back at the hotel after a very long day! The team is washing up and looking forward to some much needed rest. We wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and support. There is much work that needs to be done in this country and in this city. The believers here are not accustomed to expository preaching. Churches are full of people hungering for God’s truth. Praise God for Pastor Jorge and his ministry. We are thankful for his commitment to the gospel and the work he does to shepherd the flock tirelessly in Tucuman.