Face Growing: August 2009

It started with a very long journey, alone and with a cold. From Maryland to Seattle to Chicago to Toronto, Canada to Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina within 3 days. After the first few days in Argentina I had recovered from my cold and then began one of the most thoroughly enjoyable six weeks of my life. Playing guitar and singing at every opportunity with Brian and Will (2 of the guys on the team from Resonate Church), trying that beauty which is the Argentine Carne Asada with Malbec (the red wine that you can’t do an asado without), getting to know a host of wonderful Christian brothers and sisters, and beginning to work in the Barrio 12 de Mayo.

As the time passed work was accomplished quickly and extremely well, relationships with the folks living in the Barrio began to form, and I grew increasingly close to the team. Worshiping, studying, praying, and working together day in and day out I saw how God was working in the lives of all of us and it was beautiful. The last week the team was with me was when things started to change. We began to work in the Barrio full time, building an addition to the youth center and handing out food to the families in need. As we began to share our lives with the guys who helped us build I started to really understand a main part of why God had me in Argentina.

One thing I learned in my time in Argentina is that God does not need us or anything we can give him. He owns the cattle on 1,000 hills and he is powerful. I found out that the reason I went to Argentina was not that he needed me there, not that I could somehow improve upon his justice by giving the Argentine people a chance to hear about God, or that through my wisdom and arguments I could convince them of the truth of some religion. No, I was there to give God the glory and beg people to join me in that. God has a plan to save people and those people he is going to save will be saved no matter what. But he has decided to use us as his tools! I don't feel like I'm good at being that sort of a tool... which is really just because I'm disobedient and don't have much faith. But it is a wonderful thing to find out that God is in control and that He is worth giving glory to. It motivates but also relaxes me because I know that although I have a job that God gave me, I am also not where the buck stops. Amen.

So as we started to really spend time in the Barrio with the guys (for me the guys my age because we had a lot in common) I started to understand something of how God works… maybe. Basically I got really close to a few guys and lived unashamed of the gospel in front of them and God did some work. By God’s grace I was able to tell them the truth without being ashamed of it or worrying that they would think I was weird. By the time I left my friend Emanuel, who before we came would have nothing to do with anything remotely religious, was so open that after a devotional I gave he told me he agreed with everything I had said. Before I left I made sure I told him as much as I could about God’s forgiveness and what it means to repent of a life of sin and come to God. Steve and Gina (the missionaries) are following up with him now.

Other than Emanuel, the guys I got closest to were Emiliano and Misa. These guys had already made decisions to follow God before I got there but I was encouraged to watch them grow along with the team and me while I was there. I wish I could show you all how beautiful Argentina was to me—the people, the places, the food, how close I felt to my Father. I know this post leaves a good bit to be desired, perhaps I will post more stories as they come to me later, but here are some pictures. Also, I want to thank you all for praying for me as I was in Argentina, and though it might be selfish I covet your prayers still as I am in Chile facing a very different set of challenges.

Chilean Andes, Valle Nevado