July in Argentine Winter

“Her hair was four inches from my face and about to make me throw up. It was crawling with bugs and smelled like it hadn't been washed in months.

I was likely the first white person she ever saw.  She was a Toba, the native Argentineans who were extremely discriminated against by others. They lived in a neighborhood, full of trash and dogs. Their cramped houses with many people stuffed inside were made from scraps of metal, tarp and plastic. They could not leave the neighborhood without being in danger;  they were hated because their skin was a little darker. 

 

There was one small church, barely holding on because it didn't have money and very few people attended. The pastor worked at a construction site for 8 hours a day, had a seventh grade education and didn't have any resources to preach other than the Bible itself.  Please pray for these believers.”

  from Rebekah

Walking into the Toba village, the only thing I could focus on was my step so I wouldn't walk in dog feces, trash or animal carcasses along the dirt roads. Our team was led into a one room building with two bare light bulbs and a concrete floor: the church. The pastor introduced us to the staff of four women: the majority of the church. Then we went out and invited all the children we could find to a VBS program. 

As the children walked in, I thought that it was going to be too much. They were rowdy and disrespectful. But once everyone was seated and quiet, something in the room changed;God’s Spirit began to move.  The kids were enjoyed themselves. We sang songs, played Argentinean games and told the story of the Prodigal Son. I could tell the children loved it because of the giant hugs they gave us and their ear-to-ear grins. 

We returned the next week.  The pastor told us there were 30 new adults and teens at the church because of the VBS we put on. It was inspiring to see how many lives were changed because of three hours we spent encouraging children.  God continues to use “the least of these.” 

from Savannah

Savannah and Rebekah participated on a missions project to Argentina this July with MK2MK, a ministry within Cru for missionary kids living outside of their home country.   There were 20 kids on this project, mostly Americans, who came from 14 different  countries.  Their activities for the summer included street evangelism, conducting VBSes for local churches and doing acts of service (such as cleaning and painting) at Christian rehab facilities near Buenos Aries.