Yesterday I arrived home from my second visit to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This trip only lasted eight days in total—which is only a fraction of the time spent the first go around in the summer of 2016, but man, did we hit the ground running. Our team had an incredibly busy week, squeezing in every possible opportunity while in the city. I believe I said it about the last visit, but I will repeat it: the days were long, but the week seemed to have flown by. I would gladly have remained a few more weeks, and I believe most of the team would agree. It was wonderful—so much so, that it is hard to try to encapsulate it into a few paragraphs. Pero, voy a intentarlo.
The first thing I should note, and maybe the one of the most impactful parts of the week for me, was that I had the chance to return to this beloved city with the same young woman I served alongside the first time. Lindsay acted as commander and chief of this trip, taking a team of eight other students (plus me) to BA for a spring break mission trip. I do not think I could’ve asked for a better team. Together, Lindsay and I were able to compile our knowledge of the city, the culture, the people, the missionaries, etc. to help guide the team throughout the week. I think it took us both a little while to actually wrap our minds around the fact that we were back. We lived on the same street, ate at the same cafes, and reunited with many of the same friends as the previous visit. It is still blowing my mind that God gave me the opportunity to return and, on top of that, to do it with the only person with whom I shared all of the experiences of the first time. One thing that was strange for me in the beginning was that we were part of a team. We were not the independent pair as before, but had eight other people added to this duo (none of whom I knew prior to departing from the Memphis airport). But wow. Each of the students was phenomenal, and the team, as a whole, meshed quite unlike any other I have been a part of. Six guys. Four girls. Three street teams. Five translators (hahahahaha….). One solid group. For some, this was their first mission trip. Some had never been out of the country before. Each came prepared to share about how God had worked in their lives, and through each of them, the people of BA were able to hear about Jesus Christ. I could spend the whole blog writing about the team, but I will press on.
What did we do on this trip? Great question. We did a lot of different things this past week. Stephen (a leader on the team and Lindsay’s FIANCÉ!) described our team as a spearhead, and I like that imagery, so I will run with it. I believe the main purpose of our trip was to break ground in areas in which the missionaries hope to cultivate in the near future. We were the pioneers. The explorers. The tip of the spear. There were two main ways in which we acted as such. The first was with universities in BA. There are approximately 40 universities just in the capital city of BA. In 2013, the census reported that there are around 91,000 college students attending these public and private schools, and I can only presume that that number has increased since then. The university students make up a pretty considerable portion of the city’s population, and as of this moment, have very little connection with the local church. Our team was able to go into two universities to explore the campus and talk to students about their studies, BA life, and their faith. Everyone we came into contact with was friendly and open, and many spoke English (gracias a Dios!) which enabled our pairs to go into deeper discussion. Most of the students we chatted with did not have a personal relationship with Jesus—some were unconvinced of the existence of a God based on the seeming lack of physical evidence, many labeled themselves as Catholic yet did not practice their religion, and others had not given much thought to Him. In almost each situation, our team’s pairs were able to share their testimony of God’s activity in their lives with the students who would listen. My partner, Brodie, and I were able to pray with/for almost every students who we sat down with.
The other way in which we acted as a spearhead was in mapping the comuna of Recoleta. This is one of the nicer parts of the city; it has between 150,000-200,000 inhabitants and one evangelical church. Our team was able to divide and conquer, prayer-walking the roads of Recoleta and getting a feel for this part of town. We were trying to discover what types of people/stores/things make up this comuna, and how people could be better praying and ministering to the people living and working there.
We walked a lot. :)
Alongside these two new things, our team was able to visit existing house churches in the city, leading them in devotions and sharing our stories with the local believers. It was quite encouraging for us to see people on fire for the Lord. I always enjoy worshiping in another language because it reminds me that there is no barrier too great to prevent people from having relationship with the same Almighty God and with fellow believers. Lindsay and I had actually visited one of the same house churches last time, and it was pretty amazing to see how God had continued to work through and bless this group. Several had come to know Christ and been baptized since our last visit, and we could tell the difference that Christ had made in their lives. A group of us was introduced to the sister of one of the newer believers; she did not believe in Christ but did not seem entirely closed to the idea. She had a young child who had been recently hospitalized due to high fever and a blood clot, so my street team was able to go visit her and her son in the hospital. We got to share about God’s love, pray for her and her son, and give her a Bible. Although she did not accept Jesus in that moment, we believe God is faithful and will continue to work in her life. Our whole team visited another hospital later in the week in order to care for some sick and elderly. We got the chance to feed some people who were unable to do so themselves, and we also got to pray over them.
One last thing we were able to do while in BA was to eat ice cream. Every single day. No joke! There is a small ice cream place near our apartment that I got pretty familiar with on my last visit, and so we had to take the team. I think together we probably tried every flavor they had. But beyond the simple joy of filling our stomachs with sugary goodness, we were also able to build a relationship with the guys who worked there. On our last night in BA, a couple guys on our team began a conversation with them about the Gospel. They ended up using their work break to sit down and talk with us for over an hour about their beliefs. They were very cordial and kind, listening to all we had to say and answering every question we threw their way. At one point, one of our guys asked what they believed their purpose in life was; this took both by surprise. Each paused and considered that question, not knowing how to respond. They said they had never thought about that before. Neither of the young men made a life change that night, but we could tell that they had begun to think.
Overall, this trip was a lot about planting seeds. We were not given the opportunity to lead anyone into saving faith in Jesus, but we were able to put the idea of something (or Someone) greater into their hearts and minds. We were able to pray for many people, beseeching the Lord to intervene in their lives and turn their hearts towards Him. I think each of the team members was stretched on this trip. I know sharing the Gospel is difficult for me. What words to use, how to transition, when to speak up and when to shut up. God showed me a lot of grace this week. He also gave me a partner who was very passionate about sharing the Good News with others. Like a “Hi, nice to meet you, do you know about Jesus?” passionate. It was a little humbling for me. It pushed me to be more intentional about my words and to understand what true love means.
If you have made it this far, I applaud you. I know it’s a lot, but much of this is written for myself so that I can look back and remember what God has done. But I also hope that it is encouraging for you. We serve a great God, who loves us, cares for us, who is present, and in control. He moves in His perfect timing, and asks us to trust in Him. I pray I can be obedient in that.
If you have read any of my earlier posts, you might know how this city has impacted my life, and just how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to return one more time. Thank you for your prayers and support. Until next time.
Other random things I feel I should include:
- We never got lost. Not one time. (The one time in La Boca did not count). Just another example of how God’s grace and mercy was made evident to me.
- Our team really enjoyed the besos. Kisses hello, kisses goodbye. I think it’s something we should adopt into our culture.
- I went the entire week without drinking matte! Astounding. I’m not sure whether I should feel ashamed or impressed…
- The weather is throwing me off! This time it was summertime there (very different from the chilly temperatures of summer 2016). I enjoyed the sunshine and the short sleeves.
- The missionaries are still amazing. It was a joy for me to be reunited with them, even if for a brief time.
Verses of the week:
Psalm 34:8
Romans 8:28
John 15:1-5
Galatians 3:28 / 1 Corinthians 12:13
John 10:11-15
Prayer Requests:
>That God will send workers into BA who can water the seeds.
>Adjustment for the team.
>Support and encouragement for the missionaries.
>A continued passion for myself and my team to share the Gospel with those we come into contact with everyday.
