Knives & Blankets

Everyday life always has it's ups and downs.  Chris was recently invited to speak at a church's first (ever) missions service / convention.  He did an amazing job!  But after service went outside to find that one of our car's tires had been punctured by a knife.  So, he got all of the stuff out to change it (and put on the spare) - in his nice dress clothes, of course.  After he had finished, a few more people were coming out of the church.  Another pastor found that his van had not one, but two flat tires that had been cut with a knife as well.  This is a problem, since no one carries TWO spare tires.  So, they started calling around trying to find a tire repair place that was open - even walked around town a little trying to knock on doors.  No one was open / available.  Which really wasn't surprising since it was 1 am early Sunday morning.  The pastor called his car insurance and they said that they would send someone "right out" and that it would take 2 hours (or possibly more) since the only available towing company would have to come from the neighboring capital city of Salta.  Chris finally got home around 3 am and the pastor (to his house) around 5 am.

While Chris was gone, I needed to get ready for a baby shower the next day.  With limited funds, we are always creative in what we give to people.  I made (from leftover materials) this pink fleece baby blanket with purple trim.  We are praying that things go well for this young couple with their first baby.  We could only stay at the baby shower (which was an all night event) for a short time because then we were headed to the 43rd anniversary  of the church, Templo Buenas Nuevas.  

The anniversary service was great!  We enjoyed a wonderful guest speaker, our presbyter from Salta, and tasty food prepared by the ladies of the church.  It was chilly that night, since we are at the end of the fall season.  God is continuing to move here in Jujuy!  Continue to pray with us and for us for more salvations and health as we travel. 

New Church Location

We wanted to give you an idea of where our next church plant will be... The building in the top picture is a house that the kid's club has been meeting in and the picture on the left is the stairs leading up to it.  The stairs are one of the first things that will need to be repaired (especially when it rains) before we can have an adult service.  The living room, in the small pictures below, is a great start for a meeting room, but is very limited in its capacity.  There is an open area (like a soccer field) where the kids can play; this area is right next to the river, but since they all live next to it, it's not a problem (except during the flood stage).  The last two pictures are of the road leading into this community and a video of the kids playing (just to give you an idea of what it's like).  Not all of the kids stayed to play and the pictures I took of the living room were taken before most of the kids arrived.  Pray as we start ministering in this area!

Newspaper Advertisements

We wanted to share with you some random pictures from our daily newspaper, to give you an idea of what the people here see each day.  These are advertisements for witches, red magic, black magic, tarot cards, mystics, fortune tellers, and other ways to get a miracle.  The other half of this section of advertisements deals with the sex trade, but we chose to not include those ads.  

Pray for the people of Jujuy!

 

Kid's Ministry Relaunch

We relaunched our kids ministry at the church, Im-Pacto de Fe, on Saturday.  There were 35 kids and 10 adults there!  Our team put together a great time for the kids: a clown, a drama about the lost sheep, sandwiches and pizza for after the lesson with sodas, and songs to which the kids could dance and sing.  We also had some of the kids come up front to lead a few songs (with help) and to pray for their community, family, and friends.

Baptism Service

Today, we had our first baptism at the Río Reyes.  It was a great Sunday service!  We also had a barbecue (cookout) after the baptism to celebrate!  We thought we would share some of the pictures and one of the videos... Enjoy!

Praying for Brussels & Pakistan

As our world continues to experience the terror of bombings, our family continues to pray for the countries, people, and friends all over the world.  This picture is a us praying for some good friends in Brussels (and their kids).   Please pray with us for peace, safety, and for God to do something good with what seems to be only a tragedy. 

Mortuary Blanket (Death blanket)

In Argentina, especially in certain provinces, it is required by law for each vehicle to carry a Mortuary Blanket.  This is in case you come across a dead body, so that you can cover it.  My kids call it the death blanket.  It is considered part of your Emergency Roadside Kit that you cover, which includes: a fire extinguisher, flares, reflective triangles, reflective vests, jumper cables, first aid kit, etc.  Now you might be thinking that you can carry any blanket, but sadly no.  You must have a certified mortuary blanket.  Some provinces do not have this law and others do not enforce it.  But we have heard that there is one (Entre Rios) that will fine anyone not carrying it and require them to buy it (on the spot) or have their car impounded.  Do you have a death blanket??