Argentine Weddings, Intercesion & Titles

 Whew!  The last couple of days were looooong.  : )
I don't have time to go into everything, but I can share about a few of the major pieces.

1st - Argentine Weddings
In the US a wedding is LONG if it breaks the 25 minute mark.  (Side note - I did a wedding one time that was only about 7 minutes long.  Seriously.  : )  It was a great wedding but neither the bride or groom liked being in the spotlight.  They wanted it short, sweet, & to the point.  It was.  They're still one of the greatest couples I know.  : )

Fact: In Argentina - only the Catholic church is permitted to do a legal religious marriage recognized by the state.  That's it.

So, what the couples in other churches have to do is - a 2 ceremony wedding.
1st - A judge does a legal ceremony.  It is very short and too the point.  It would be even shorter but they literally "fill" it with details like...
"John Smith, groom, single, engineering major, who works at Jones Construction, who lives at 555 Ramon St, San Salvador de Jujuy, District of the Capital, Jujuy, Argentina - son of... dad (repeat details) & mom... (repeat details), etc., etc."  - It is almost a little humorous.  I guess they want to make sure they have their books straight.  Ha.
2nd - A Pastor performs a religious ceremony and they are now married, both in the eyes of the state & of all who want a religious wedding.  The religious ceremony is not all that different than most of the weddings I have been too in the USA.  The ones I have been to have not had anyone singing or special music, etc - a little different for us.

But then things are just getting started.  The reception is reeeeeeeeally long.  : )
That is collective culture for you.  It is an event.  So people come & are there to hang out.  They stand around and talk.  Then we sit around and talk.  Then we sit around and eat.  Afterwards we sit around and talk some more.  Later we stand around and talk even more.  (Are you getting the COLLECTIVE part yet? : )
Our first Argentine wedding, we came prepared to stay for 1 hour & stayed for 3.  When we left everyone was like, "What?  You're leaving already?  Is everything ok?"  - Lol.  Yes, we're okay - just need to let the kids get home and relax.  - This time we were there for 5 hours before we left.  We still got the same questions.  Ha.  We're getting there - adjusting to the culture.

It was a great time.  Now that we know what to expect and are adjusting to the culture we enjoy hanging out, talking, taking pics, and being part of the whole.  The people are beautiful; precious to us, and we are blessed to be here with them.  I even came back later to help take the bride and groom to their home with all the gifts, balloons and more.  Most people do not have a car so ours is a huge blessing and well used to help out at times like this.  It would have taken 3 taxis to do what we did in 1 trip with our SUV.  : )

2nd Intercession - 
Afterwards, I hopped on a bus with a group of people from the church to travel an hour to San Pedro, Jujuy, Argentina to go to a Training Session on Intercessory Prayer.  In Argentina, they don't mess around.  The session went for 3 hours (6 - 9 pm) and then afterwards we had 3 hours to put it into practice.  (9 - midnight : )  It was a great time, lots of great material.  I had a hard time writing everything down in Castellano fast enough.  And my favorite part was the time of prayer and worship afterwards.  It's amazing how FAST 3 hours can go by when you're really getting after it.  And our part of Argentina needs a LOT more people who will "get after it" in intercession for spiritual breakthroughs. 

3rd Titles -
Much of the church world in Latin America (like their culture in general) is super into "titles."  Everybody has to be a "somebody."  I think it lends credence to listening to what they have to share.  I suppose it makes people feel important and like they have a place in the world as well.
At the same time it can be a point of concern and even argument.

Last night there was much talk from "Apostle so & so" or "prophet so & so."
Let me say, I believe in the positions.  They are Scriptural, important, and extremely valuable to building up and encouraging the Body of Believers as a whole. 
I also think that perhaps in N. America we have lost sight of these positions too much.  I believe we have people who operate in their roles, but they prefer to use the title of "pastor" and not draw so much attention to themselves.  I am also quite sure that we have seen too many FALSE Apostle/Prophets destroy the image & people don't want to be associated with that.

Here, I think it is the opposite.  I think titles are applied and flung around too quickly, too easily.  To be sure, there are people here who are the real deal; wonderful leaders who bless and help the Body of Christ in great ways.  I just worry that too many people get all emotional and ASSUME titles or BESTOW titles where no title should be given or received - at least not so easily or "flippantly" at times and in certain circles.   

I was wondering where the title "SERVANT" has gone.  After all, while the Apostles/ Prophets in Scripture did not shy away from their position, responsibilities, or title - they were very quick to refer to themselves over and over in much more humble terms - IE. "Servant/ Bond Servant/ Slave" - of God.
Wow!  What if we all put as much time into thinking of ourselves, and referring to ourselves in this manner - "Who me?  Yep.  I'm just a servant.  Nobody special."
After all, Paul the APOSTLE who wrote 1/2 the New Testament referred to himself as 'the least of these."  Why shouldn't we?  I think it would be a Good Thing.  : )

Do I want to do the work of an Apostle (leader in the church/ father of multitudes) - Yes!  I just don't want to get a big head.  After all, PRIDE still comes before destruction & an ARROGANT SPIRIT before a fall!  : )

Have a great day, be blessed by God in order to be a blessings & Stay Humble -
Paz, bendiciones, uncion, y poder en Dios - 

Our Ministry Passion

Yesterday, I wrote about the passion we have to help build up the existing churches here in NW Argentina including in regard to their giving to foreign missions and supporting their own Argentine Missionaries.

 Today I thought I would share about our Passion for NW Argentina
- in a nutshell.

NW Argentina, especially the Province of Jujuy is one the most unreached parts of the entire country and one of the most unreached parts of all of Latin America.  Statistics say that any people group who are less then 2% Christian are still considered an Unreached People Group.
That is NW Argentina.  The stat's here put us at less than 1% evangelical Christian.
Here are our Jujuy Stats & our A/G numbers -

The Province of Jujuy has 700,000 + people and is steadily growing everywhere you look.
The capital city of San Salvador de Jujuy has a population of 300,000 + people and is growing greatly
- There are only 2 A/G churches for all of the capital - 31 neighborhoods (barrios) with +/- 10,000 people each & we still have 29 without a single A/G church.
- There are only 4 A/G churches for the entire province.
This leaves about 100 cities, towns, & communities with no A/G church whatsoever.

Our passion is to see at least 1 A/G church (many more if possible and where applicable) planted in every neighborhood of the capital city, and in every city, town & community in the entire province.

It is a massive dream.  : )
We are prepared to pay the price for as many years as necessary to see it come about. 
We know that it can not be done all by ourselves.  It will require a massive number of people to make it a reality.


Therefore, we are praying hard every day for...
1. God to send more missionaries here - they can come from ANY country outside of Argentina, it does not matter to us, just that there are more workers here.
2. God to send church planters from within Argentina to Jujuy - right now we know of no one, but we are praying for God to change that in a massive way
3. God to raise up leaders from within Jujuy to branch out and plant daughter churches - this is a long slow process, but it must be done to prepare solid leaders.  Only leaders who are solid can produce churches that are stable.

- So far, we have met 1 new missionary to the region (from Columbia).  We rejoice over this & are praying for a great many more.
- We know of 1 couple who is away from Jujuy at a Bible College preparing for future ministry & don't know if they will be coming back - but we're praying they will.  : )  - Also, heard a rumor of a pastor's son who has a burden to plant a church in a city in Jujuy; still trying to verify the report.
- And we finally know a few couples who have a burden to plant daughter churches here in Jujuy - yeah!!!  Now we are working on not only God calling more, but how to effectively train them and help them prepare.
It is a work in its beginning stages. 

Please pray for Jujuy!
It is a terribly unreached area.
It is home to great spiritual warfare - a graveyard for pastors and church plants.
(Example - the church we are a part of went through 16 pastors in a period of only 19 years!) 

Thank you for your partnership with us.
God bless you and do awesome things in your life for the sacrifices you make for the people here -

Paz, poder, y uncion de Espiritu Santo -

NW Argentina & Missions Burden

Hello everyone -

My apologies for having left such a gap in my on-line journaling.  I was try to do it at night, the last thing before I went to bed.  I thought it would be a good way to think through and recap the events of the day.  BUT, I find that often I tend to be so wiped out come bed time that I don't think clearly or have the desire to follow through and write on line.  SO, I have decide that perhaps it would be best to journal in the morning - when I have a little more in the tank.  ha.  : )

For the past two weekends I have been hoping on a bus and traveling 3 hours to the SE to preach in Missions Conventions in Metan, Salta, Argentina. I preached in the church "Casa De Dios" (House of God) a couple of Sundays back and in the church "Jesus Es El Camino" (Jesus Is The Way) this last weekend.  Both are small, semi-struggling churches with a long history of fighting forward.  This is a very common trait here in NW Argentina.  Both have great pastors who have suffered in their positions, but have continued to fight for more ground and have amazing attitudes.  It is reflected in their people, who are incredibly kind and warm.  I loved speaking at both churches & would go back N-E-TIME! 

On a personal side note: I am suuuuch a creature of habit.  I will not be traveling and preaching about missions this weekend and it is weirding me out!  I am trying to figure out what to do with myself.  lol.  (No worries though.  I have a very busy schedule)

I was excited to speak in their Missions Conventions because, obviously, missions is a great passion of ours.  There are few churches here in NW Argentina and the vast majority of them are very small.  This also means that the vast majority of the pastors are bi-vocational and/or have learned how to get by on almost nothing.  This also makes for a tough environment for giving to foreign missions. 

The churches here have a "reputation" for getting all excited about missionaries and their burdens for the different parts of the world that God is sending them to, but in NOT coming through in their monthly pledge of support to them.  This is tough as those Argentine Missionaries are counting on the money pledged to come in each month, but it is not.  So, most missionaries are not excited about traveling aaaaaaall the way to the NW (yes, to pour out their passion for missions) but NO for getting small offerings that can't even cover their travel expenses and for getting "pledges" of support that too often do not translate into reality. 

I have a great passion to see that all be changed, to be transformed into a reality where NW Argentina has churches that are reaching their communities and growing AND that are committed to touching the world as well through Argentina's own missionaries (155 and growing, right now).  My dream is to see EVERY church in NW Argentina praying ardently for their missionaries AND supporting them faithfully each month, living up to their commitment.  It burns in my heart that NW Argentina would become a place where missionaries desire to come to because they know they will be well received, they will be given offerings that way more than cover all of their travel expenses, and they know they can count on their monthly support more than anywhere else in the country!

Over the last year + that we have lived here, I have had the opportunity to speak at 5 churches in Salta & Jujuy regarding missions.  I am praying for the day when I can speak in all 28 of them. 
Here is my desire in a nutshell - sort of the bare minimum to really get the ball rolling for missions in NW Argentina

EVERY single church in NW Argentina would support at least
ONE Argentine missionary at at least
$100 PESOS in financial support
EVERY single month. 

I could keep going on this topic, but we all have lives to get on with so I will let it go for now.
Please pray for this bare minimum to become a reality - and much more - here in NW Argentina.

Thanks and God bless -
May God help you to do the same (reach your neighbors & reach the world) right where you are

Paz, bendiciones, dirección y poder -

S.O.A.P. Method

Today I was fighting to make time to spend in God's Scriptures & Prayer.  I like to use a simple system called - S.O.A.P. 
It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, & Prayer

This is how it works. 
You read through a passage of Scripture - it could be anywhere from a few verses to various chapters. Then you Observe what it is that God is communicating to the recipients of that scripture.
Next you seek to find out how you can Apply it to your life in your context.
And finally you write out a Prayer to God to thank Him for what He has shown to you and to help you put it into practice. 
It is a simple process but it helps to keep more of what God is teaching you in your focus and live it versus just reading it and then shutting the book on your duty done. 

I have been reading through the book of Hebrews for the last few days and today I was in chapters 11 & 12.  Chapter 11 is so incredible and yet runs so counter culture to your western mindset.  So often we celebrate the "Faith Chapter" by focusing only on the 1st part of it - what we might call the "success stories."  We dream of the victories won, the miracles God worked, the incredible list of things that are "good" in our mind and represent the answer to "faith." 
But what about the 2nd half of the chapter? 

This area lists those who were rejected, abused, wandered about without being able to have a home, lived in caves and had to wear animal skins, were imprisoned or even tortured and put to death.  Where is the "Faith" here?  Shouldn't they have experienced awesome miracles and deliverance if they "truly had faith?"  - How far we miss it in our western mindset of instant everything and our ideas of what success is.

2 key verses leap off the page at me in this chapter with regard to this theme -
Hebrews 11:26b "...he was looking ahead to his reward," speaking of Moses in his willingness to reject the easy life of the palace in Egypt to identify with the Israelites and to go through so much suffering.  and Hebrews 11:40b "...God had planned something better for us..." 

We put so much focus on the here & now and forget that we live in a massive global spiritual battlefield and that it is not just about "us."  Faith/ Trust/ Confidence in God is about more than "winning" in the immediate.  It is about loving God so much and understanding His love and His purposes that we are willing to do whatever needs to be done in order to see His will be accomplished in this earth and with the people God has surrounded us with.  

Our "reward" and our thoughts can not be just in this life, in the immediate.  They must look forward to the reward, the GREAT REWARD that lies ahead of us.  These thoughts must fuel our drive and our passion, or we will not endure much hardship in this life.  But if we can be like Jesus, "who, for the JOY set before Him (knowing about all of us He was going to save!) ENDURED the cross, SCORNING its shame - and is NOW (finally) seated at God's right hand!  
It IS going to be worth it!  

Good night all & God bless - 
May you draw power from the Great Reward set before you & do great things in God's plan in spite of what the opposition may be 
Paz, poder, habilidad sobrenatural -   

A Long Day - An Awesome Day

Today is Sunday, June 24, 2012.

It was a good day, but man was it ever a looooong day.  : )
I sleep best by myself.  I toss and turn a lot and it is easier to do so when I don't have to take anyone else into account.  But late last night Aliana had a bad dream and came and joined daddy in the security of his bed.  Sigh.  What could I say?  Of course I said, "Yes."  She is my precious little girl.  She slept soundly in the warm of my strength...I had trouble doing my tossing and turning.  Ha.

The kids got up a little later than normal & then started eating.  Then they continued to eat while watching TV, ate more while playing games on the computer, ate more while putting puzzles together, and just kept on eating all day long.  I think they are having a growth spurt.  Weird that all 3 of them are having it at the same exact time. Hmmm?   : )

We finally got changed and went to the store to stock up quick before everyone closed for the day.  Most grocery stores are open in Argentina on Sunday, but only until about 2 pm.  To me this is a weird thing as technically it is a Catholic country and the Catholic Church has it's services in the AM.  You would think it would be the other way around.  I think it shows you just how Catholic the country really is - in name only.

Anyways, we stocked up, did lunch, did laundry, did dishes, did more feeding, refilling drinks, rescuing the kitty from the kids, rescuing the house from the kids, and rescuing the kids from themselves.  : )  - Then I finally started cleaning the house for real.  I cleaned, and I cleaned, and I cleaned some more.  I cleaned until I was literally exhausted and then took a short break.  Afterwards I cleaned the bathroom...my dreaded nemesis.  I would rather do dishes and laundry all day long than clean the bathroom for an hour.  Well, by the time it was all said and done, the house was so clean, I wanted to cry.  Now if only I can keep it this way another 24 hours until my beautiful love gets home from Buenos Aires.  We'll see.  : )

In the process, I spent much time in prayer and fasting for the team, for the week to come, for their journey to Jujuy (24+ straight hours on the bus - whew!) and for the church service tonight.
- I don't know how we have arrived here, but it appears that so many followers of Jesus view our corporate time together in the church building as a "professionals only" time.  You just show up and take it in.  The pastor and staff have been working hard, prepping, and praying for God to touch peoples' lives.  That is good & should be so, but what about THE REST of THE CHURCH?

I hate that somehow we have lost sight of the fact that WE are the CHURCH - and not the building.  That WE are the Bride of Christ and that we should be dying to get together with our LOVE.
That WE are His BODY in the world & that while their may be a "professional" clergy, we are ALL part of the TEAM - called to be HOLY, called to be FAMILY, called to be in the fight TOGETHER and not just spectators or consumers.

I felt so moved by the Spirit that I sent out a text to everyone in the church that I had their cell phone number - encouraging them that NOW is the time to prepare ourselves, to pray for the service, to get ready to meet with God and see what He would do in and THROUGH us to touch the lives of those around us...and not just expect that Pastor would take care of everything on his own.  (There is so much POWER in TEAM!!!) 

I think it impacted.  Tonight's worship was rocking!  The message felt like it was in the middle of a spiritual battle, but the altar went on for long afterwards.  And one of my favorite parts - several people got up to share how God was impacting their lives and/ or working through them to minister to those around them.  AWESOME!  THAT is what the Church is!

I could belabor this point, but it is nearly midnight and tomorrow is going to be a very big day.  There is still a ton of prep to do for the team coming & then to host them upon their arrival tomorrow night.

May you all have a great sleep & remember to Take Your Place in God's Business.
Don't just sit around and watch someone else doing it.

God bless, inspire, guide, & empower you -
Que Dios los bendiga, inspira, guia y les da su poder - 

The Fight Continues

Hello all.  Can you believe it?  Two days in a row!  I'm on a roll. 

Today is Saturday, June 23, 2012.  Ah Saturdays.  A day to rest and relax. ...well, sometimes.  : )
The day started warming up slowly, first one child, then the next, and finally the last, all crowding into bed with me.  It's not a bad way to wake up. 

After breakfast, cleaning up, and the other usual household chores, it was time to run errands and prep for the mission team's coming on Monday.  As often happens, things did not go as planned - I could not find an office I needed to make contact with, then after finding it, it was closed for some reason, I need to get to a store, but stopped by a friends house to drop something off and stumbled onto a birthday party, got invited in - you can't refuse, that would be bad Argentine etiquette, and while having a great time, ran out of time to get to the last errand, the store closed.  Oh well.  Better to have a crazy busy Monday than to harm a dear relationship.

Then it was time to get done what I could at home.  Afterwards I made dinner, bathed the kids and am now watching Star Wars III with Nate.  Being the oldest he needs less sleep than the little two, a fact that they both hotly debate.  Lol.  Anyways, if I put him to bed at the same time as the younger ones, he keeps them up talking and goofing off.  So, I have found it better to put them to bed earlier and then watch a movie with him.  Good bonding time.  Right now we are working our way through the 6 Star Wars movies.  It is fun, but boy does he ask a lot of questions.

Soon we will go to bed as well.  I will fall sleep praying and interceding for Heather and the team in Buenos Aires.  Tomorrow will be another long day of necessary prep.  : )

Good night all -
Love you and pray that the God who loves you more than any other ever could, will help you to understand His incredible love for you -
Bendiciones y paz del Padre -

Fighting Forward

Wheeeewwwwww!  I'm back!  : ) 
Amazing how easy it is to get busy and not have time to write in your on-line journal. 

It is Friday, June 22, 2012. 
Heather is in Buenos Aires (about 1,000 miles away) working with another missionary, Brandy Wilson, and a Missions Team that is here from the states.  On Sunday they will hop on a bus and travel for a full 24 + hours to Jujuy.  How good it will be to have Heather back, and to have our 1st ever missions team to come and work with us here in the far NW. 

In the meantime, I am trying to do 2 jobs on my own...
1. Being full-time parent to the kids - and yes, it is a full time job!  : )
2.  Being a full-time missionary who is prepping to host their first ever missions team. 
It is very taxing.  Ha. 

I have to get work done of course, and am working as hard on it as I can. 
But, family comes before ministry.  Ministry changes places, people, situations, but your family always remains.  : )
The hard part is that on top of the double duty, I have gotten sick and been fighting hard against it as well.  I would love to say that I have always done things right, but when exhaustion & sickness pile on, it can be a tough load to carry while at the same moment trying to do the double duty of ministry and children.  Whew!  I have fallen short of what I should have been more than a few times. 

Thankfully, God is gracious, I am making it through.  With His help I will get all the details pulled together over the next couple of days.  : )

Pray for my health, the kids to behave well, and for the details to all come together before the team arrives Monday night -

Thanks and God bless -
Have a good and blessed night
Paz, salud, bendiciones