Blooming

 

It's been a while since I've updated anything about my life, what God is showing me, how I'm doing and all I have been up to. So, I thought I'd appropriately (and ironically) title this Bloom to show where things are growing since I last shared much. The irony is that for 3 weeks now we've been in Spring and are still having some of the coldest nights yet.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. -Psalm 90:12

In the last few months, we haven't had any teams (the last was in July) and I just found out we won't have any more coming for the rest of my term. It could be really easy to complain and be sad about that, but I'm not going to give that any of my time when there is so much to focus on here.

Knowing that I'm leaving in 3 short months has starting putting pressure on myself...to see results, which is good on the business professional side, but horrible for the disciple side. Yes, I need to work diligently while still here (cf. John 9:4), but I cannot be sure of seeing any results. Doesn't mean they aren't going to happen, it just means God's time scale is different and longer than what I would choose (how often is that the truth?) So I cling to God's great promises, knowing He cannot lie or change, and trust by faith for when my work yields fruit.

The small groups I attend are still going strong. We're almost done with John in Puerto Madero and considering Acts next if the others in the group want to. It's been 5 whole months in 1 gospel. Don't you love how rich God's word is that it alone is sufficient and we don't need prepared studies to be students of Christ?? In La Boca we're awaiting the birth of little Benjamin any day now!! We're no longer in the pizza shop, which isn't a bad thing, but it does put the pressure on finding a place to meet.

That's the short of the working side of my life, if you'll call it that. 

I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you. Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who live in them.  Let the wilderness and its towns raise their voices; let the settlements where Kedar lives rejoice. Let the people of Sela sing for joy; let them shout from the mountaintops. -Isaiah 42:8-11

I have been on 2 great trips in the last month. I will not call either one refreshing because one was physically the hardest thing I think I've ever done in my life, and the other a mental challenge for the weekend. 

I had a week long trip to Peru. And I fell in love. With Peru, just to clarify. The food there is delicious, this much we already know, but the views, the nature.... and Peruvians are just nice people. How could I not love it! I want to go back to see other parts of the country, but it may be a while before that happens. I went with some other company girls to visit the great Machu Picchu and we were blessed! By each others' company, the weather.. in every aspect. (Maybe I'll do a more in depth Peru post about what I did visiting Lima, Cusco, and Machu Picchu for readers with future ganas de ir a Machu Picchu)

Next, I went to a retreat/camp/meeting for ABA Jovenes which is just like youth group but older for the Argentine Baptist Association. We had it in Córdoba which was a 10 hour fun filled adventure in a bus! (see the sarcasm?) Really it wasn't terrible... with 2 stops driving all night we made it in plenty of time. [Note to Americans, why can't you do a 10 hour road trip with only 2 stops?? I remember going 5 hours to Branson with the youth group and had to stop 4 times to let people go to the bathroom.] We had two really great speakers and they talked about being protagonists in the story (or maybe it was in history.. still not sure). How God is THE protagonist, but as his disciples we too are protagonists in where we are. It was great to hear a Christ centered speaker with a heart for God's word. You could hear his passion in the way he preached, and assuming it wasn't just a camp high, a lot of youth were called by God to commit or a decision of some sort. 

So, why wasn't all this refreshing? I'm not against 10 hour bus drives, it's economical when you have a group. But I felt all weekend long I had on 'Merica cap, without evening intentionally putting it on. It was so clear in the way I skipped dinner to go to bed at 11PM to the fact I came to breakfast first every day expecting to leave on time, that you can take the girl out of America but you cannot take the America out of the girl. I try so hard to adjust but it's hard. Oh and did I mention I got sick with a horrible cold and the pharmacy didn't have the meds I needed? I hope I don't sound like ALL complaints here, because it was a good trip and I am thankful for the way the people looked after me. Not only when I was coughing and chugging 2L of water, but just in the in between. The family of God is good.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. -Romans 12:2

A note on me. I'm doing well and still learning a lot. I got to go to a 9Marks conference last week and WOW. If you ever have the chance to listen to them or read their material, please do yourself a favor and do it!! For two nights I sat in with pastors and leaders from all around BA, Argentina, and other South American countries listening to 5 men speak (yep, the conference was in Spanish without translators!) about the Church and Christ and God's word. I left refreshed and challenged which I think is always a good thing. 

I've been doing a Bible Study with the other missionary ladies on my team called the Truth Project. It's a DVD series of 16 weeks I think looking at a Biblical worldview. I highly recommend it, but it isn't easily accessible. You have to complete the series as a "student" to place the order for it as I understand. It's also been a really challenging study to look at every little thing that enters our mind and test it with God's word, and make sure we're not making any assumptions or buying into any either. This study has again strengthened my love for the sufficiency of God's word in our life.

God is still revealing to me areas of my life where I need to let go and change, but I'm telling you it's hard! The process of sanctification is one of the most difficult things because it is showing us our ugly; Our personal sin that we love and don't want to get rid of, but if we're ever going to be like Christ, there is no other way. I'm thankful to God for his mercy and love! That He still pursues me and chasing me, a sinner as I am, knowing my sins past present and future, yet He calls me his own.

A Week in the Life of...

Sometimes you may wonder what my life actually looks like, or a day, looks like for the typical missionary. Well, there's no easy answer. Mornings are late and nights are later. There is no "schedule" and you never know when plans are going fall through or be canceled - for the 3rd time.

Now after a year and a half in, I have a "routine" but that doesn't mean I'm set in my ways because there is still a lot of flexibility in my schedule!

Sundays, you guessed it, I go to church. I am not assigned to one particular church, but rather when I first arrived was able to visit a number of churches in the city before choosing where I would go. I stayed with Villa Mitre, which is right in the heart of the city. Almost "suburbs" of city apartments if you can imagine. People don't go to Villa Mitre to work, they live there. I hope that makes sense. A lot of Porteños don't even know where the barrio is, so I have to explain more or less streets in the area or give them an idea. THIS CITY IS SO HUGE. . . Anyway, so Sundays there is Sunday school followed by church. The rest of the day I can eat lunch with people, or spend it however I want. The weekend here is people's time to get OUT, not really a napping indoor thing like Baptists at home tend to do ;)

Mondays, I catch up on e-mails, laundry, and grocery shop. I go to a Bible study that is in Recoleta at 5:30, followed by a prayer meeting at 7, then service at 8. I usually get home around 10 and have dinner afterwards. (If I'm lucky it's Crystal's night to cook ;)  This part of town is what they call "old money" and it is evident not only in the buildings, but even in Bible study. People coming in suits, their style of dress.. you just are made aware of where you're at. And It's great, because this part of the city only has 1 Evangelical Baptist church for the 157,932 persons living there.

I pass this flower outside the Law School in Recoleta every Monday coming home.

Tuesdays I spend my afternoon into evening with my good friend, Araceli. We have tea together and study the Bible. I met here in the Monday night study at Recoleta and for over a year we have been meeting.  I used to go to another couple's house for dinner after Araceli's, but the woman's health hasn't been doing well this winter. She and her husband are like my grandparents of BA. Tuesdays are easily one of my favorite days!

Me with Araceli

Wednesdays I have all day to organize with people how I want to. Our Puerto Madero Bible Study happens this night and I leave my house about 7 to get down there and return home around 11. Then it's time for dinner :)

Puerto Madero is prettiest at night and I pass by this landmark pedestrian bridge every week

Thursday we have our bi-weekly team meeting, which I am so thankful for. Thursday night I have my small group with church in Villa Mitre. It's at 8:30 so I go an hour early to discuss the night's material with my co-leader. We finish up and I get home around 10:30, usually. Then, as you can imagine.. I eat dinner.

My small group has become like a small family to me. This was for my birthday.

Friday I try to attend a Bible study in La Boca that my boss and his wife have been leading for about 3 or maybe more years now. We meet in a pizzeria at 6:30 when the sun goes down and shops start to close up in the famous Caminito district of the barrio. There we sing worship songs and study the Word for a few hours before riding back home together.

Thousands of tourists pass through Caminito "the little street" daily

Saturdays are, obviously, one of the better days for getting to meet up with people in the city, if there isn't a special event or activity planned with a church. Every Saturday night I try to go to youth group here, which is not intended for high schoolers necessarily, but more 16-30 year olds. People studying, people working; anyone is welcome. Until you marry and have kids..... then you're pretty much out of the group.  Again, this is like at 7-8 start time, and finishes around 10 or so. Sometimes you eat there with friends. Otherwise dinner is on your own.

So, there you have my week, more or less; and no two are ever the same. I adore this city and the people and God is welcome to change any of the above if it is necessary for bringing His name more glory in mi Buenos Aires querido.

(As You) Go - My Vacation to the Falls.

So a few weeks ago I had the great joy of taking vacation to Iguazu Falls. Have you heard of it? Maybe you've seen my pictures?

 

There, that's the falls. As seen from the Brazil side. I thought "seen one set of 'falls' seen 'em all, right? WRONG. Niagara falls has NOTHING on Iguazu. Below: Niagara 

Niagara. Not impressive, I know.

 I'll post more photos of Iguazu, I promise, but this post (really) isn't about the beauty of the falls. 

It's about how even on our vacation, God used my teammate and I to share His truth with Argentine nationals and teach us about this culture we still know so little of.

First, meet Gabriel. This is his Spanish name. He has two other names, I think, one in Guarani which is a tribal name, and then another, in Bu'ah which was a dialect of Guarani. Incredible.

Gabriel was born in the jungle. Just like this picture above shows, he is a natural at building traps. He started going to national schools at 11 years old, and that's when he started learning Spanish. An Argentine, that didn't know Spanish until he was 11 years old! Culture is so rich if you're willing to listen.

Anyway. Gabriel lives with his wife and three kids in a small home with a little bit of electricity (he just doesn't like it; he wasn't raised with it). One weekend per month he comes to this school in the jungle to teach about 100 children the ways and heritage of the Guarani so that the kids don't get any half-truths from the national schools.

Along our jungle tour, Gabriel told us that his father was a Shaman. This was really interesting to me for several reasons. In college, I did my capstone project over shamanism. When you confront that in real life with your beliefs and knowing truth, it is a strong dissonance. 

Then there was the fact that I hear about these tribes, and people who are animistic and often are associated with Brazil and Peru, but Argentina? My mind so often drifts to Buenos Aires -- which is anything but tribal. The diversity here is real and my heart longs for them, and for once, I understood and if even for only a fraction, felt like I knew what it felt like for the people working with the Unreached, unengaged people groups all around the world. And that's not even to say that all UUPGs are animistic.

When we started talking to Gabriel about the afterlife, I was curious if he had a spirit, where would it go? He told me we all have a good and bad spirit.  With all due respect, I asked if they were little angels and devils sitting on our shoulders. He laughed and told me no, that they come from the earth and heaven when we're born and then return to where they came from when we die. That simple. 

My friend had to ask him then, where did he learn this? He told us his father, who learned it from his father, and so forth. But there are no books with anything written. Because their language (bu'ah, remember?) is not a written language, it's only spoken.

Oh, how I pray for the Holy Spirit to just open his eyes! Truly, I saw Romans 1:20-23 played out in that very moment. Gabriel chose to give credit the things of God, to things of the gods. 

Yet how often is my sin so similar; choosing to give the credit of things of God to credit of man.

Ruth and I left with him an opportunity to know the cross and he unfortunately never wanted to hear it, and we didn't see him the next few days because our schedule had us out all day. If you think about him, or right now, please pray for Gabriel, that his eyes would be open to Creator God. That God would continue to be merciful in sending people to share truth with him and that he would not reject the beauty that is so evident around him.

my super fun travel partner for the week!

Ok, so you've heard one story of how God moved in my heart teaching or showing me something, but there's more. Enter day 3 of our trip and we're heading to the Argentine side of the falls and up drives this guy is in an unmarked car wanting to give us a ride. Uhhh, no thanks. He circles around. Says he'll do it for the same price as the bus. I see on his window it says "Cristo me guia" or, Christ guides me.  Well that must make everything better! (at this point you probably think we're writing the script for Taken 4, but I assure you, it's okay!)

Ruth and I talk it over and I get in, and before she gets in and shuts the door, she takes one last look at the lisence plate number (how's THAT for contingency training?!?) and we're off to the falls! Our driver's name is Miguel, and he's young, and I quickly ask him what the sticker across his windshield means to him.

"Oooh, that means everything to me." He assures us. He quickly hands us a really old, used Bible and hymnal that was up on the dashboard that I had noticed right after we got in the car. After looking over the Bible, I realized the pages were missing from Genesis 1-4. The pages were a yellow/brown. I had a feeling this had been in the family for a while. He told us he was evangelical, Betuel [note to self: still need to look them up. Every Argentine in BA has not heard of this sect/congregation...]. I mentioned to him our experience with Gabriel and said "so animism must be normal here by the jungle?" and his response?? No, we're about 85% evangelicals in Iguazu. 

Now, Buenos Aires is about 2% evangelical, reached of the 14 million. I cannot fathom this little city being that reached. I didn't see one church! Ruth and I eyed each other in the back seat with a smile to keep from gasping, I think. So, appropriating, she led the next question to explain his relationship with Christ. He talked about how he was raised in the church, going since he was a child with his parents and grandparents, but not once was the word S I N mentioned.

We thanked him for the ride and had his information for the next day to go to the airport. This is where it gets good.

The next morning Miguel came to pick us up with his girlfriend to take us to the airport. We didn't have too much for conversation until on the way to get gas he tells us they saw a snake coming to get us and showed us the picture they took of it. 

I think both Ruth and I were both thinking about how the conversation ended the day before, and wanting to know how to get back to it. Suddenly Ruth asked them if they'd ever heard of the story in the Bible about the snake in the garden. They said no.

This is a 21 year old boy who was raised in an evangelical home driving around with his "Cristo me guia" sticker and Bible in the dashboard and didn't know who the snake in the garden was....SAY WHAT??

So Ruth ever-so-kindly tells them that I'm going to share a story. I went through Genesis 3 with them all the way to the airport, and the whole time, Miguel's eyes were looking back into the rearview mirror. When I explained the moment she picked and ate the fruit, sin entered the world, you know what verse he referenced sin with?? Not Romans 3:23. Not 6:23. Not even 5:8

John 8:7.

But. It was so great to share with him that from that moment, God had a plan for redemption, that the seed of woman, Jesus Christ, would crush the head of the serpent and forever have power over death.

Miguel asked us where to find this story and we said, Genesis 3. Just chapter 3? Genesis 3, God's word, that's it, we told him. Not my word's but His. Remember how I told you that Bible on his dashboard was torn and didn't start until Genesis 5? I pray he and his girlfriend went home and read it and sought truth for themselves.

I am continually seeing how the truth God showed to me from 2 Kings 22 keeps coming around, the importance of the Law, and teaching it to those around us, to your children. This boy who claims to be an evangelical didn't know the story of the garden, of sin. We have to read God's word to know God's word. To know Him.

I think I've written enough here. I just wanted to share about some of the awesome ways God allowed me to be apart of the work and people's live in the part of the country. I could share about Alex the German, but that's just your typical post-modern worldview, and sadly there's so many of those around I feel like there all the same... though I know every person's story is different. Like Alex, who was in town to see Haussentauten. The DeadPANTS. Not DeadPANS. Better to say DeadTROUSERS so someone doesn't misunderstand you. Which can happen in German. If you say Haussentouten it means DeadHARES, like dead rabbits or something, and that's just sad.

Ok really I'm just rambling now. Here are some pictures of this BEAUTIFUL world wonder!!

Enjoy! xo 

so much water

garganta del diablo

rainbow

Do I Really Like What I Do??

I was talking to a friend back home, as a frequently do, and she told me, "Bethany, are you happy there? It just seems like you're really depressed every time I talk you you."

Now, these may not be the words you're looking for when you talk to your best friend, but then again, if they are your best friend and they know you well, they should be able to tell if something is really wrong, right?

The problem with this, cross-culturally, is that ministry is messy. I'm good. I (most of the time) love Argentina. Now, God didn't promise moving here was going to be easy. In fact, he said quite the opposite when said he was sending his disciples out as sheep among wolves (Luke 10:3).

But just because I'm living in a "Christian" nation doesn't mean all my thoughts and ideas are welcomed and accepted. Being a North American is not necessarily a good thing here, and working alongside my brothers and sisters here has a sandpaper like effect here. It rubs some people the wrong way. While I'm praying it has a smoothing affect, right now it is painful.

I see hints of prosperity gospel. Authoritative leaders. A lack of faith. And because of the politics of the Church (yes, that exists here,) I can't just fix it.

But what has God shown me in this? Or rather reminded me of? That the church is still all sinners, and we all need Jesus.

I have seen so much good in my last year. Praise be to God. I have heard stories of missionaries who leave the field without physically seeing fruit in their term, but that does NOT mean God wasn't working. It just means the work is hard. It is painful. We (hopefully) put all of our heart into these people, these churches because we so want for them to seek God, and when they don't it pains us. It is ALL for an eternal value. If it wasn't I wouldn't be here. Anything less than eternal is in vain. My heart aches when people don't want to get together to study not because my feelings are hurt (that initally happened, but I'm over it now) but because I fear they're losing out on the promises of God.

So am I depressed? Not in the least bit. Do I like what I do? Absolutely. Do I LOVE what I do? There are some things I'd change, but I can't change Argentina ;) nor can I change America. My citizenship is in heaven and I'd have it no other way.