Prayer...

Our house has a two "bedrooms" outside.  One is used as an office and area for homeschool; the other is a play room or guest room.  Recently we started a prayer meeting with the core members of our church plant.  We meet at our house everyday (except Sunday) at 5:45 a.m. until 8 ish.  In Argentine culture, some people are just going to bed at this hour - especially during the weekend.

We are praying for a breakthrough in our area!  There isn't much our outside room (that was the train room), but since it's summer, we can also use the outside porch area.  A friend mentioned that part of Jujuy (our province) was on a show recently.  We had never watched the television show, Naked and Afraid, but we looked at some clips and did some research.  They were in the Yungas Jungle of Jujuy/Salta.  We are not sure exactly where... but if you watch this show, you will see the jungle area of where we live - the show just lists the area as Argentina.  The jungle is a small part of our province in the east; the rest is a high desert.

We also found this article that advertises 6 places to Celebrate Carnival (other than Rio de Janeiro).  Want to guess where one of those places is located??  In Jujuy!  Click HERE to read the article.

Carnaval Season 2015

Worship Areas

 Here in Jujuy, there are MANY areas available for worship.  Every time someone had a "miracle" from the virgin Mary (Jesus' mother), they place a shrine to worship her.  They they simply call her the virgin from that area or place - sometimes a town, a neighborhood, or a larger area - like a mountain.

Below is another worship area for Gauchito Gil.  You can read about him HERE (in wikipedia).  He has his "own" website, but it's in Spanish (You can see it HERE).  There's a song for him as well on the website if you want to learn it.  People give offerings or sacrifice to him for a miracle.  People also place a red ribbon on their car for luck or protection.

There are other places of worship as well.  For example, San la Muerte - Saint Death.  There is a specific prayer that is offered.  It says (more or less), "Powerful Saint Death, skeletal spirit that accompanies man in his misfortunes. you have power to protect me in times of danger. I name you my protector and I am sure you hear me. Lord of Death, chosen by God for your gift of justice,
I ask you to free me from all harm and evil, so that neither sorcery nor disease, or misfortune, or loneliness, neither poverty nor treason
can be with me. May your protection cover and protect me from
my visible and hidden enemies.  Don't allow yourself to be used against me.  And let your scythe
return evil to whom has done evil against me."  There are other prayers, but this is the idea.

Some other gods or saints that are worshiped here include:  Pachamama (sort like mother nature-more infor HERE and the less religious website HERE), Difunta Correa (people place water bottles for her), etc.  Many idols, along with the witchcraft.

Taxis

Here in San Salvador, we have yellow taxis from different companies with numbers on the side.  The taxis have a little red light in the window that says, "libre," which means that they are available.  Sometimes though the taxis drive with the light on when they have been called to go pick someone up.  When this happens and you try to flag them down, they have a certain hand signal.  It's the same as when we say so-so with one hand... flat hand tilting side to side.