Heading South

A month has flown by and we are leaving our wonderful friends at the Bible Institute this evening. We learned so much here -- practical things of construction, how to greet people with a one-cheek kiss, how to serve and sip mate, how penguins migrate, the history of Welsh pioneers, the difference between 'parrilla' and 'asado' barbecues, the use of Ud., fishing in Argentine waters, what is involved on the other side of a missions trip, and more about friendships established through sharing time together, however brief.



Two days ago we went about an hour & a half south of here to see the largest colony of Magellan penguins. It was fascinating to see how they burrow into the ground to make their nests. Many of the feeding and incubating habits are similar to the Emperor penguins, which most of us became acquainted with in "March of the Penguins". In the same habitat we saw Argentine camels, called guanaco, and we even caught a glimpse of some gauchos herding sheep on the way there.

We will catch an 18-hour bus south to Rios Gallegos (are you looking at a map?) and after we arrive on Monday morning, we will get on another bus for four hours to reach El Calafate. That is where the most incredible glacier formations are and we're excited about seeing them. We aren't expecting to have much access to the Internet, but one never knows. Appreciating the differences of life outside the U.S., we continue on our journey.

Thoughts about Missions

I’ve been thinking about the work of missionaries a lot lately and I remember not so long ago having a very different idea of their purpose. Maybe it was from films I’ve seen or novels I’ve read, but the general image was often negative. Especially for those who don’t attend church or even those who do, but aren’t blessed with a priest or pastor that has a heart for missions, the idea can be one of imposition on a culture where it may not even be welcome. Certainly, man has not always done it well. Historically, westerners often went to change a society – attempting to make it ¨better¨ or imposing their beliefs as the ‘right’ way. We’ve seen examples of missionaries who saw it as their task to stamp out local cultures, which they regarded as the work of the devil, and replace them with a religion in which Christianity and the cultural values of Western Europe were inextricably intertwined. I’m struck by the new perspective I have now.
When approached with a heart like Jesus, missionaries come alongside people of different countries appreciating their language, customs, and culture. We often refer to these places as the ‘developing world’ or ‘third world’ countries. It would be more aptly put to call them the ‘majority world’ and recognize that we have much to learn from them. Only after learning from the local people and establishing relationships with them do missionaries offer any services and later still any hope of a life forgiven by Jesus. But it is this idea of supporting and serving them that is predominantly the goal.
Our missionary here in Argentina, Martin Jacobson, said ‘’I believe the greatest need in missions today, whether for short-term or longer-term, is to approach any culture with Christ-like humility, affirming the fact that every person on this planet was created in God's image. That humility is reflected in respecting their language and culture while not imposing our "culturally-conditioned" Christianity on them and yet not compromising the essential truth of Christ's life, death, and resurrection.’’ He sees that as only being a possibility after ‘first listening to their life "story"’.

The work being done here at the Patagonia Bible Institute is a wonderful example of meeting the needs of the people and equipping them to accomplish their mission, ultimately without any help from the outside.

We have loved getting to know the Jacobsons and the Echevarrias (in photos). In effect, they are building generations by their efforts in Patagonia as part of the answer to the prayer of one of the first Protestant missionaries to South America, Commander Allen Gardiner. He and his team of six men died of thirst and starvation on the southernmost shores of the Patagonia in Tierra del Fuego. His diary was found near his body -- on July 4, 1851, he wrote:
“My prayer is, that the Lord my God may be glorified in me, whether it be by life or by death, and that He will, should we fall, vouchsafe to raise up and send forth other labourers into this harvest, that His name may be magnified, and His kingdom enlarged, in the salvation of multitudes.” I guess we're kinda part of that, too!

Week 3 near Gaiman

We miss our friends from the Bluegrass State! Here's a shot of Chase with his Kentucky Boys . . . Mark, Randy, Derrick and Bo who, BTW, is only 18. He and Chase are both in high school! I had a great experience last week presenting "A New Heart" ministry to eight Argentine pastors and the Bible College Directors. New Heart is the Wednesday evening class we have at Oak Park Christian Center. I believe so much in the power of these one-on-one meetings. Everyone seemed enthused about the possibility of integrating the pre-discipleship lessons into their own churches, so I'll do a formal training for them and their church volunteers next weekend.

Charlie and I had another wonderful opportunity yesterday. The Echevarrias invited us to an "asado" (BBQ) in Puerto Madryn where they get together every month with a group of married couples. After the meal, Charlie and I shared our testimonies and a little encouragement as God has blessed us in our marriage. As usual, Charlie was funny and eloquent and I think everyone understood us even though they teased us about our Spain-Spanish accent!

We feel so honored that the Argentine missionaries are entrusting some of this ministry to us.

Instituto Biblico Patagonico

We are workin' hard! And we're working alongside a group from Kentucky, so it is a fun thang. Seriously, getting to know this group has been so neat, because many are BIG guys with BIG drawls, but they have BIG hearts. They have shared such funny stories with us and, truth be told, we are awed by many things that are very commonplace for them. For example, one of our new pals raised fleas for years (and sells them to universities who did testing for Hertz flea collars, etc), three couples got married when they were seventeen, one 42-yr old has a 30-yr old stepson and they call themselves rednecks. But the whole lot of 'em are very talented in construction expertise.

Mary has learned how to weld,

Chase knows how to lay bricks,

and Jane is ready to paint any room! These are valuable gifts. I'm just happy knowing the three of them can build a nice house for us one day. :)

Yesterday, Jane & Mary entertained little children from a nearby pueblo. A few churches had a "happy hour" for the kids with skits, music, and dancing. (Mary is the clown in front . . . )

Even the BIG guys dressed up and were so cute sitting amongst the local children. Once again, it's about the people. When we had plans to go to South America and work with missionaries, we certainly didn't expect to be blessed by a group of folks from Kentucky . . . who'd a thunk?