Upheaval

We are coming to love our newly adopted culture and country. As we spend more time here we get a feel for what the people are like, what their struggles are, and how the whole moral environment has been changing the last few years. In a way, they are not too different from us. Except, perhaps that the changes are more recent. Many seem concerned about the downward turn in both their economy (which has happened numerous times before) and in their values. But in the area of values nobody seems to know what to do.

"I don't believe in anything, but I'm happy."

In Buenos Aires there seems to be quite a growing culture of agnosticism and even atheism in some cases. God can use our ministry to reach out to people at such a key time. In the midst of such cultural, political, and economic upheaval, people seem ready to seek for answers in a world that offers precious few, and the ones they do offer leave us empty.

And no matter how hard our hearts, there is always someone God is working in. I’ve been getting to know a guy who sells produce at one of the local stores close to our apartment. We started talking about what it is we do here and why. He started telling me about his own spiritual journey and belief system. He said that he has tried out several religious systems and doesn’t like certain elements of all of them. So, he has taken some of the elements from them that he likes and told me that he believes that what is important is your faith and how it motivates you.

I started talking to him a little bit about those systems and told him that there is something Christianity has that all of those other systems do not: a God of love who made us in His image. While we wrapped up the conversation he stated that he would like to get a coffee with me some day. Please pray for him. From what he said it sounds like somebody had done him damage in the midst of his spiritual seeking. His name is Ariel, a poetic name for Jerusalem.

A Good Start

As I sit on our balcony overlooking our neighborhood I think back on our trip and marvel that in such a short time a new life can be started. Just a few days ago we were saying our goodbyes and packing. Now we are at our temporary apartment and will have to unpack at some point! We have had a great start in this new life and ministry. Our days have been filled with trying (and failing) to pull money out of the ATM (don't worry, we've got it figured out now), buying groceries, exploring the neighborhood, and having several meetings with the team. We are so excited to be part of this ministry!

But I need to talk a bit about the trip itself. In all of the craziness we got to the airport a little late for my taste - two-and-a-half hours before the flight instead of the recommended three. Making matters worse, I mistakenly thought we were to leave from the international terminal. When we did get to domestic departures with our ten bags of luggage, three carry-ons, stroller, etc., etc., etc. we had to shift our luggage around because many of the bags weighed two pounds more than the allowed fifty! Then we were informed that our first piece of luggage per person would not be free like our travel agent had told us. However, here is where we started seeing God at work. The guy checking us in told us that the luggage charges were actually going to be cheaper on the whole. As we continued weighing and re-weighing our bags to get the poundage right, he was working on getting some glitch worked out with our tickets. We were told that we accidentally had not paid for taxes with Air Canada! By the time he finished (two other people had to help him out with the glitch) all of our boarding passes were printed out and the tax glitch had disappeared. Sophie was running all over the place.

We finally got to our gate and had to get Sophie a bite to eat. In the process we were late boarding and were told that all of our carry-ons had to be stowed beneath the plane and retrieved from the luggage claim in Toronto! Our plane was already taking off late so our connection was becoming complicated. Within a couple minutes we were told that all checked carry-ons would be checked through to our final destinations instead of having to be picked up in Canada! This was a huge blessing because we already had too much to juggle with the girls and a million little items for the cold and the stroller and personal items that we did keep with us.

We arrived in Canada and the flight attendants were very sweet and asked us to wait on the plane for our stroller to be brought up, it being very cold on the walkway between the plane and the gate. We were nearly the last ones of the plane - a scenario that would repeat itself several times! We were able to talk about why we were traveling and where we were going and they were very attentive. One of them had vacationed in Argentina and said that she loved the place and the people. She thought that what we were going to do was wonderful. They had to call the immigration officers and ask them to wait for us since we were coming though customs late. Because of a misunderstanding I had to fill out a customs form that I should have filled out earlier on the plane. I was so nervous that we were going to miss our connection that I couldn't remember my daughter's names and botched the form in several places!

We rushed to our gate and had no problem getting to our plane on time. We finally sat down and were situated when a voice over the intercom welcomed us to our flight to Chile! Lluvia and I looked at each other in panic! I quickly showed by boarding pass to our flight attendant and she told me not to worry, we still had a connecting flight in Santiago de Chile and would fly on from there to Buenos Aires! Don't ask me how I missed that lay-over, but suffice it to say we were greatly relieved and a little perturbed at the same time. We would have to get off the plane and go through more metal detectors all over again with the girls and the stroller and our sundry items just to re-board the same plane! The flight to Chile wasn't a bad flight. And looking back we thank God that it was at night. The girls were asleep for the majority of it! We didn't sleep much, but the airport movement in Chile was uneventful, thankfully.

We got to Buenos Aires and breezed through immigration and customs without any problems. The immigration officer was even cracking jokes with us. Along the duration of our trip there were always people helping us in various ways.

We came through the doors to see the lovely faces of our team leaders and team members, as well as two people from our church here.

As we reflect on our trip a few thoughts linger.

• So many things could have gone wrong-really wrong! God was working out everything for our good. (All of our luggage and carry-ons made it in spite of the connecting flights.)
• Many times, in the midst of much uncertainty, stress, and fatigue, I had a feeling of incredible peace. Your prayers accompanied us all the way.
• In spite of the craziness there is nothing else in the world we would rather do!

Our team meeting in our apartment.

Thank you for praying for us and supporting us. Here are a few more prayer requests:

1. That God would use us for His glory in this place, bringing people closer to Himself.
2. That we ourselves would grow in our relationship with Christ this year both individually and as a family.
3. That we find affordable permanent housing.
4. That we find an affordable car.
5. Praise God for a good start!

One Single Cell

How is it possible that what I hold in my arms was once a single cell?

Then it multiplied and each cell shares the same code that makes her who she is yet each has different function.

I look at her-her closed eyes, her stubby nose, her mouth sometimes smiling behind the veil of dream-and I think again, can anything else be so perfect?

Yet again God has turned our world upside down. Yet again He uses circumstances to cut to the core of our being.

Make me what You want me to be!

In our lives we wear many hats. Few are as transcendent. Though, perhaps, every moment should be.

Thank You, Lord.

Fulfill Your Calling

Several times I have heard people say, “I could never do what you do. I could never serve God elsewhere.” Some say, “I could never give up my life here.” I have even had friends from Mexico say this to me. While I am somewhat naïve, and don’t easily perceive meaning behind all statements, I take this to mean that they are unwilling to give up their comfort—their life. Truly, being an international worker is a calling, and I am judging no one when I say that because, “there are many parts, yet one body.” (1 Cor 12:20 ESV) If we were all missionaries who would send the missionaries? Yet I detect in their statement a kind of respect or awe regarding what it is that international Christian workers do.
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But I feel this awe is a bit misplaced. You see, for me there is no better life. There is nothing better than entering and assimilating into a new world – a parallel universe. And there is nothing so sweet as sitting across the table from someone in this other world and delving deep into their lives, drawing out their doubts and disillusion and helping them seek God. What could be better than walking on the journey of life together? And that in a world that you have adopted as your own and that God, in His infinite wisdom, has gifted you? Would you be happy anywhere else? Would you be happy doing anything else?

All of this reminds me of a song by one of my favorite bands, Sixpence None the Richer. In their song, Melody of You, they beautifully sing these words:

This is my call, I belong to You

This is my call to sing the melodies of You

This is my call, I can do nothing else

I can do nothing else

And indeed what could be better than singing of a Savior to a world bereft of hope? What could be better than elevating His Name and work in a world that glorifies darkness? And what could be better than fulfilling your call – than externalizing what He placed in your DNA?

“See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:17 ESV)

Please help us fulfill our calling to reach out to the lost in Latin America. Below is a form you can click on, print, fill out and mail to International Teams, our organization. Or you can give online at: Donation. We can’t do this without you! Thank you!

From Nazareth to Bethlehem

Last year, around this date I was a new father. Sophie was just six months old. Christmas was coming, and being a new father I felt I had new insight into what Joseph and Mary might have felt and thought as they made the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

"Tonight I’m listening to the song, “Breath of Heaven” (by Amy Grant) with Lluvia and thinking about Mary and Joseph and a very hard journey they had to take. How torturous the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem must have been! I think about Mary, and how uncomfortable the trip must have been for her, pregnant as she was. I can imagine her being worried sick about losing the baby, and only being a teenager. Poor Mary! I can imagine them having to make frequent stops because Mary couldn’t ride or walk anymore. I can imagine her and Joseph thinking about how “inconvenient” a trip of this kind would be. I can imagine Joseph looking at her during the trip and worrying about the state she was in. I can imagine him thinking to himself, “I can’t believe I have to leave my trade for this census, when I most need the money. I can’t believe that we have to make this trip with my wife ready to give birth at any moment – a trip from one end of the country to the other!” I very much doubt Ceasar was too concerned about how this law was “inconveniencing” his subjects. But they had no choice, this was the law and Ceasar’s word was absolute.

And I can imagine Joseph getting to Bethlehem, and Mary beginning to have birth pains and Joseph in a panic trying to find a suitable place for Mary to deliver. Poor Joseph! He may have thought, “Lord, You are in control of all of this; how could you let this happen now? In a stable, Lord? In a stable? Some husband I am, letting my wife give birth in these conditions!” I can imagine them having all of these thoughts despite the angel’s coming to them earlier, announcing the birth.

But this was exactly what God had in mind. He did everything in the way that He knew would somehow be best. He did it exactly in the timing that He knew would be best. And He was probably working in their hearts through all of this, like He has worked in mine when I've had similar doubts. I've seen God do incredible things (though I've never seen angels). And I have doubted more than is healthy for my relationship with my loving, all-knowing God. I have questioned the timing of many, many things, like bringing my wife and newborn to the States. But God can handle my doubts. And I can learn from Joseph and Mary."

Far As the Curse is Found

Lluvia loves the Christmas traditions we have in the States. Lluvia loves any reason to celebrate. That’s probably why there is always Christmas music seeping out of our apartment and into the hallway. I enjoy life much more since I married her.

But if we left it up to the radio, Christmas would be lacking something. While we enjoy all Christmas music, much of it lacks the beauty and depth of the carols and Christmas hymns. There is something so beautiful about a Savior. Something so necessary – especially now. There is so much pain and panic; there are so many trials and tears.
Contrast that to what it says in the hymn, Joy to the World:

No more let sins and sorrows grow
Nor thorns infest the ground
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found

God has sufficient power to undue this mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. If we let Him, He will do it in our own lives. He will do it someday in all creation. We don’t have to look far to find the curse. If we look to Him in humility, we’ll find complete renewal and respite.

May you find the renewal and respite that you need in Him, “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)
It is the desire of Lluvia and I to share this message of the hope of Christmas with as many people as we can. We are currently preparing to do so in Buenos Aires, Argentina. If you would like to support what God is doing around the world, could you prayerfully consider printing and filling out the card at the link below? Or, if you would like to just give a specific Christmas gift you can do that as well, by specifying in writing that it is a special gift for Christmas. You will have to click on the image, save it, then print it out. It will then have to be mailed in to the address provided on the card. Thank you!

Reason to Rejoice

One of the things I love about my daughter is that every morning she wakes up smiling at us. It doesn’t matter if she’s tired or teething, she finds reason to rejoice in a new day. And looking at her, it makes it hard for me not to rejoice as well.

I hope this rejoicing is something that is always characteristic of Sophie. As a father, I certainly want to do everything to make sure that she has ample reason to rejoice always. But there are things that are outside the realm of my control. Indeed there are a great many things outside the realm of control of each of us!

Much of what we feel when we see the circumstances surrounding us is panic. The future that we are walking into is uncertain at best; many would say grim. What are we to do? What should our response be?

David was a man plagued by enemies and trials. Many times his life was in danger. All of these situations taught him where to go. In Psalm 39:7 he said, “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (ESV) He knew that he would find no other sure refuge in times of uncertainty than in His God. And likewise we have no other place to go than to wait upon our loving God. He is loving, He is all-powerful, and He can handle whatever it is that keeps us up at night.

Likewise Paul was a man who had his share of hardship. He was wrongfully jailed several times and ended up a martyr. Yet from his cell he said, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-13, ESV) If God was strengthening Paul in prison, He is more than able to strengthen us in our present circumstances. We, like Paul, can be content. And more than that, we can rejoice. Paul, in this same letter states:  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Phil 4:4, ESV) This man in prison isn’t just suggesting that we rejoice, he is commanding it. It is scripture.

If we can just keep our eyes on Jesus, wait and hope in Him, and rejoice in all of our blessings (they are many, if we stop to think about them), we, like Paul, can be content and rest easy in the fact that God has everything under control.