Team Argentina News Updates
January 12
We ended our ministry Saturday night with a music concert in Martinez. The church was full and the service went very well. Dr. Martin preached a strong
salvation message and the fellowship after was filled with warm embraces and goodbyes. The students collected 240 pesos (around $80) for our bus driver
(as a goodbye gift) that we had been witnessing to all week. Please pray that Gustavo will accept Christ. He is a good man and the students have a real
burden for him. He was so appreciative that he came downtown Buenos Aires yesterday afternoon to say goodbye to the group!
Sunday we packed up and headed for downtown Buenos Aires to sightsee. We had not seen the city, so we were excited to drive and walk around this very
European city. Buenos Aires is known as the "Paris of South America" and we could fully see why. You really could be anywhere in Europe on many of the streets.
There was too much for us to see, so we only concentrated on a few areas of the city. The Argentines demolished 2 full city blocks (wide) to create the
widest boulevard in the world - Very impressive. Different groups visited an art museum and some saw Evita's grave as well. All too soon we had to head to
the airport and check in for our return.
We said our sad goodbyes to the Greenwoods and had an uneventful, smooth trip back to Tampa. Again, we were not charged for any luggage (I know some were
overweight with their souvenir shopping!) so we were thankful for that.
We are back safely and our hearts and minds are filled with the many things that God did in and through us. We are so thankful for this amazing opportunity
to serve and thank you for your important part!
~Dr. Craig Ralston
January 11
The week has gone by very quickly and we are in our final day of ministry. The Lord has been working in our hearts as well as the hearts of the Argentines.
We have been blessed in so many ways, and we are humbled to think of your prayer support and His willingness to use us here in the greater Buenos Aires area.
The 5 day Family Life Conference at Don Torcuato ended Thursday night. They had record attendance all week and the missionaries were thrilled at how many came
out for the the adult seminar, youth rally and childrens VBS programs. Our team loved getting to know the Argentines and forming strong friendships in such a
short time. Of course there were tears shed as the team said goodbye to new friends. It is neat to see that we can form such strong bonds with those in the
body of Christ no matter where we are in the world!
The daily VBS at the Greenwoods house has continued through the week with the addition of a soccer ministry. Teen boys have come out the past few mornings to
play soccer with our guys, and with the 'wordless book' soccer balls, we have been able to give a Gospel presentation after each game. The families in the
Greenwood's Bible study have been so appreciative of the daily Bible teaching for their children -- they have a great core of families to begin their ministry
here in Pilar.
Last night we gave a sacred concert at a small church in Martinez, an upper-class nieghborhood. The team handed out 1500 invitations to the concert at the busy
Unicenter Mall (the largest mall in Argentina) which resulted in numerous people coming to the concert last night. The concert was very well received -- great
acoustics in the small auditorium plus we are much more comfortable singing in Spanish now! We will have another concert at the same church tonight and expect
an even larger crowd with further canvassing this afternoon. We will also do a modified VBS before the concert.
The team members have remained unified and have done an outstanding job throughout this trip. I am proud of our CCC students, their commitment to the Lord and
for their
dedication to each part of this important ministry. The Greenwoods have been pleased to have us and look forward to our return. Personally it has been a joy to
work with them and to know that we have been able to assist them in their early work of starting a ministry here in Pilar. It will be exciting to return and to
see how the Lord blesses their efforts.
Tomorrow we will pack up, head to downtown Buenos Aires and spend the day sightseeing. Our flight leaves in the evening and we will be back in Florida Monday at
10 a.m.
Personally, I did not expect to be drawn to Argentina in the way I have been. God has worked in the team and in my heart to give us a love for these people
that some of us did not expect. I am thrilled at how this trip has
encouraged team members to be bolder in their testimony for the Lord, to see a deepening walk with the Lord, a greater appreciation for missionaries, a heart
for missions that wasn't there before, a love of the Argentines, and on and on! As a leader, this is confirmation that these trips really do make a difference
in so many lives (inluding my own!).
Thank you for your prayers and for your interest in our ministry. We look forward to returning Monday and to sharing further what God has done!
With eternity in view,
~Dr. Craig Ralston
January 10
Today was another good day. It was very exciting to see even more kids come to VBS and hear the gospel this morning. Even sitting on the soccer field this
morning, some were able to share their testimony with the kids. Tonight was exciting as well. We were able to pass out tracts and invitations to come to the
concert tonight and also to the concert tomorrow night. As a result of that, there were three women that came to the church for the first time tonight. It is
also apparent that the Lord is working in the heart of our bus driver. As the past week and a half has progressed, he has become more and more open to us.
Today we were able to take him out to lunch with us and share the gospel with him. He also stayed at the church for the concert tonight. Please pray that
the Lord would continue to work in his heart and that the circumstances would work out for him to come again. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do next.
~Rebekah Nix
I've had yet another "wifferent" (we don't say weird so we blend it with different) day, one of many. All week we've been lamenting the slight turn out for
morning VBS. Personally, I liked having a small group because I felt like I could enjoy the kids more that way, but putting aside my selfishness, we wanted
as many children as possible to come to our program and hear the Gospel. I made it a point, as I'm sure all of the team did, to specifically pray for more
children to come. Our prayers were answered. We had the biggest turn out yet and all the children had the opportunity to hear/see the message of salvation
clearly explained with the help of Carla's Gospel Cube.
After this we headed out to a new church, for us, to do our sacred concert. The building was small but lovely and they even had the original trunk, from the
missionaries who planted the church, sitting in the foyer. It was from the 1940's I believe. It made me feel a little pathetic for thinking our 9 hour flight
was a big deal, those missionaries had carried their lives in that brass clamped, black trunk thousands of miles on a boat which probably took them a lot
more days than it did hours for us to get to Argentina.
The concert went well and a huge blessing was that our bus driver, who we've been praying for and persistently inviting to meetings, was standing just
outside the wide open church doors, listening to the whole thing, including his second presentation of the Gospel that day. He already had it once from
James and he got a second dose from Dr. Martin. Pray for his salvation when you think of us, please.
I'm ready to wake up tomorrow and see what new and exciting things the Lord will show us.
~Beth Perry
Ola! (I apologize for the corny greeting, but I am excited that I have finally got one Spanish word down!)
A phrase of a verse comes to mind, "The Lord is plenteous in mercy and greatly abounding…" We have been witnesses of this exact truth. The Lord has
been making himself known through the days since we left for the trip! The past few days have been filled with great excitement, not because of mass
numbers of people, but of the quality with which we have had the opportunity to minister. The door has been wide open several times to share the gospel
very openly and directly with those around us! Gustavo, our wonderful bus driver, has been with us since the first afternoon when we started traveling
around Buenos Aires. Over the past several days he has consistently opened to us and softened up to us. Just today James was able to clearly share the
gospel with him as we ate lunch together. Later, he was at the service and heard another clear presentation of the gospel from Dr. Martin. PLEASE pray
for his salvation!! I view him as part of the team now, he has spent so much time with us, and even spoils us by buying us drinks to help us cool down
from the work we are doing! I can go on and on of other stories but I don't have the time. Continue to pray for us to be faithful in the work before us.
We have another important concert tomorrow evening with more unsaved expected to be there! Pray for our hearts to be ones of ministry, and their hearts to
be receptive to the Gospel.
Thanks for your support in prayer, you all are truly apart of the work here!!
God Bless,
~Josh
One added item about the bus driver, as we were passing out invitations to the meetings for tonight, of his own accord, he came along. He gave directions to
inquirers on the streets and even encouraged people to attend the meetings. These things are far bigger than our efforts, but not bigger than our great God.
~Dr. Carl Martin
January 9
We have had another wonderful day of seeing the Lord's blessings. He has been so faithful to answer prayer. Today was the last
day of Vacation Bible School at Don Torcauto. It was very hard to leave the people with whom we had been building relationships with all week. The kids
seemed to have a great time again tonight and, more importantly, there were many opportunities to share God's love with the children. I had the privilege
of teaching the Bible story tonight for the 4-12 year olds. It was such a joy to see the children engaging in the Bible story (the woman at the well) and
to be excited about memorizing God's word. The Gospel was presented again very clearly and the children were challenged to share Christ with their friends.
As we wrapped up our ministry at this particular church, it is a point of reflection for some on the team. For me, I have been challenged tonight to live a
better Christian life all the time. Even with the language barrier, it strangely seems that it is easier to share your faith in a different language than at home.
Perhaps this is because we are so ministry minded on this trip. It is the goal of the trip to minister to others, but how convicting to realize that ministry
should be the focus of every moment of the day no matter where you are. Thank you all for your continuing prayers. The Lord is so good!
~Rebekah Mitchell
I don't know where to start for today, it was a day packed with blessings and lessons. To start out the day, I was working on my VBS lesson which was on
John 4:1-30, the woman at the well. I know this story well, but this morning I just felt really incompetent and unworthy to teach the children, and was really
struggling with getting the thoughts from my head to come out of my mouth. I didn't want to teach this morning but knew that God had a reason for bringing me
this challenge, so by His grace, stuck with it and taught the lesson. All day I felt like God was going to do something but I didn't know when or what and if
it would be "big" or something seemingly "small", none the less, God laid it on my heart to be praying throughout the day for His blessing and whatever was
going to happen.
This week we were praying for a young man named David who was searching through philosophies to find meaning and fulfillment in life. After some extenuating
circumstances in his family, David started to follow some of his friend's at his college who were into different philosophies and stopped reading his Bible and
going to church; last night he came to the youth rally. We were praying that he would come back tonight and that God would work in his heart and soften him.
This evening was our last day in Don Torcuato, our evening VBS program, family conference, and youth rally. I helped out upstairs in the youth rally. Between
games, I chipped the soccer ball over a bench with flip flops on and broke my big toenail off and back a bit; this may seem insignificant, but it really played
out what God was planning. This prohibited me from playing soccer for the rest of the night which I was planning to do. Later, I saw some dishes that needed
washing in the kitchen, which I normally hate to do, but I just really needed to do the dishes. I reluctantly started the dishes in the kitchen, all by myself
while most of the other people were playing sports. As I was washing the dishes, David walked in and I had the most amazing opportunity to speak with him. God
amazingly took away most of the language barrier, as I had a Spanish Bible with me that I could show David verses from and then the rest of the conversation was
in English! God brought so many passages to mind to help David in his doubts of Christianity and questions about faith. He was very open in listening and asked
many questions. Every time I feared that I would not be able to answer one of his questions, God brought something to mind to respond. I was even able to use
part of my lesson from this morning when telling David how it is the Holy Spirit inside of us that is our fulfillment.
I left the church in awe that God used a broken and weak vessel like me to talk to a young man struggling to find his faith in Christ. I ask that you pray for
David as we keep in touch through email; he doesn't want to give up his faith in Christ but is at a point where he has got to purpose in his heart to keep the
faith and stay in the Word to fight against the devil's devices to bring doubts into his mind about Christ and God's sovereignty! I want to thank all of you
who have been praying for us on this trip and want to encourage you that God is at work!
~Joanna Wiedeman
January 6
God has been faithful and things are going great. We began our VBS at the Greenwood's house and evening ministry at the Self's church. The first day only a
few kids came in the morning and we were all down, but Amy explained how our mere presence was a ministry to the ladies who were making us lunch
and that our knocking on doors to advertise the VBS alerted the neighborhood to the Greenwood's and their ministry. Plus, having fewer kids gave us more time
to do work around the house and pray as a group. The evening ministry is going better than we even hoped. The teens are really excited about us being here and
pay attention to the Bible lessons. Last night we sang for half an hour, singing simultaneously in both languages after the meeting was officially over. We've
all been greatly encouraged by the testimony of those we work with and observing the humility of everyone around us is humbling.
~Ryan Blakemore
Well, we have reached the halfway point, and God has truly sustained and blessed. This morning was the second day of VBS at the Greenwood's house, and
I am so thankful for the Lord's sovereign providence. Yesterday, we had hoped for more kids than actually came. But then today, there were a few new boys
from the neighborhood; some of the guys were able to talk with them, and begin to get to know them. Lord-willing, this VBS will draw people's attention and
interest to the Greenwood's ministry. Our evenings have been spent at Iglesia Bautiste in DonTorcuato. The youth rally has been amazing! One aspect that I
have personally struggled with has been the language barrier. It is humbling to struggle with something as simple as speaking. But last night we spent at
least a half hour just singing together, in both English and Spanish, and it was encouraging to see the unity that we can have worshiping together as brothers
and sisters in Christ. I greatly look forward to further building these relationships and seeing what God has in store.
~Gabrielle Marino
This morning in our team devotions Ryan shared a verse from 2 Corinthians 4:7 which says "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of
the power may be of God and not of us." I am so humbled that God allowed me to be a part of this missions trip. I have been able to help in several areas on
this trip including music, VBS, and the youth rally. Last night's meeting with the teens was such an incredible encouragement. We sat down in a circle and were
about to play a game with them and they asked if we could instead sing songs together. We sang familiar songs, each in our respective language. What an amazing
time we had lifting our voices together in praise to our God! I am excited to see what God has in store for the remainder of the trip.
~Sarah Lent
January 5
We were excited to be a part of 2 different ministries yesterday for Sunday services. We began with a morning sacred music concert in Escobar -- the church
that James helped build and that Hillsdale (my home church) sent a work crew down to a few years back. We were somewhat tentative singing in Spanish, but God
gave us the focus we needed and I don't think we made too many blunders! There are some dialect differences here in Argentina, so we had to made some changes
for that too. The church had advertised extensively in the neighborhood so there were quite a few unsaved in attendance. After a salvation message, one man
did raise his hand to accept Christ, so we rejoice in the opportunity to sing and preach the Word there in Escobar.
After an incredible meal at Pastor Victor's house (plenty of steak and sausage to go around a few times!) we set up our program at Ron Self's church in
Don Torcuato. They have a 3 storied facility that works great with a family conference. They also have 2 pianos so we were able to include some big piano
numbers in our concert. We began the first hour of the conference with a sacred music program and then broke into VBS on the second floor (with Bible story,
crafts, games and English corner) and a Youth Rally on the third floor. Dr. Carl Martin preached the family life conference in the main auditorium with Ron
Self translating. The program ran extremely smoothly and we were excited to be a part of this thriving ministry. The team really did an outstanding job and
the teens and younger kids are excited about the program the rest of the week. We passed out many flyers before the service started so trust that we will see
visitors attending tonight and through the week.
We returned late to the hotel and had an almost-midnight dinner of empanadas -- we could eat those every day. One thing we are not lacking for is good food --
it has been plenteous and extremely good!
This morning we are at the Greenwood's house doing a VBS for the neighborhood. We have had a slow start (it is vacation time so the kids are sleeping in late)
but we have a good group of kids and hope to encourage more to come through the week.
Our team is unified and working very well together on all levels. Most students are juniors or seniors so we have a more mature group. Carl and I have no
concerns and we are proud of their hard work and servants' hearts. Our devo time each morning is brought by a different team member each day, and we are
enjoying sharing the Word and spending time in prayer together. I love hearing comments from team members about their love of the people here and their expanded
view of missions; and two girls last night were planning their next trip back here. As long as James and Amy will have us, we certainly hope to return to
continue assisting them!
Thank you for your prayers! We have been very healthy so far, safe in all of our travels around the greater Buenos Aires area, and excited about what God is
doing through us on this trip!
With eternity in view,
~Dr. Craig Ralston
The day went well today. [January 4] The team ministered in one church this morning and had a delicious dinner in the afternoon (yes with steak too). We had a
very full evening of ministry in Ron Self's church this evening in Don Torcauto. We ate supper a little after 11:00 p.m. local time, which is not the most
healthy but gives you an idea of the schedule before us. Tomorrow begins the second VBS, this one at the Greenwood's home. We have passed out thousands of
tracts between Pilar on Friday and Saturday and in Don Torcauto this afternoon. Attitudes team dynamics seem to be holding well. Thank you for your continued
prayers.
~Dr. Carl Martin
January 4
We are at the end of day four already in Argentina! The days are starting to run into each other now but we have settled in well and have been busy with numerous
projects. New Year's Day was spent at the Greenwood's house. They live in a beautiful wooded neighborhood with no other house on their side of the street.
All kinds of exotic birds fly in and around the house and there are the largest rabbits I have ever seen in the field behind their back yard! This is a haven
of rest for them and they are grateful to the Lord for providing this house for them. We worked on various projects for the Greenwoods -- digging and laying
wire for an electric dog fence; stamping tracts; folding new color brochures for their ministry; playing soccer with children in the neighborhood; grilling and
eating great ribs and sausage; sharing testimonies with their saved friends and neighbors. (We have all been taken off guard by the church people literally
grabbing us, pulling us towards them, and kissing us on the cheek! Not quite used to it yet!). A relaxing and profitable day in all.
Friday we left early for the main plaza in Pilar to set up for handing out tracts and performing music. Most Argentines were very friendly and took the tracts,
some stopped and read them, and some threw them away. We had some trouble with the sound system but were able to finally have sound, so the musicians in the
group could sing and Josh could play his euphonium. We enjoyed being outdoors and around the local people. In the afternoon we left for Tigre, a local market
town that has lots of authentic Argentine goods to buy. This was our main afternoon for shopping so we shopped hard to get all the goodies we needed to bring
back home. The weather was glorious all day -- blue skies, cool breeze, no humidity, so we really enjoyed ourselves. Then we came back to the Greenwoods for a
spaghetti dinner (not sure how Amy feeds 25 so easily!)
Today, Saturday, we were back in the park all morning, handing out tracts and performing Christmas and sacred music, and then left for a small town an hour
north of Pilar at 12:30 p.m. We met up with a youth group from another mission church and spent the rest of the day with them, playing soccer (Argentines won
easily!), riding horses and having fellowship. We returned to a late pasta supper at the Greenwoods and preparations for our concerts and first VBS tomorrow.
We are excited about our ministry tomorrow. A music concert in the morning followed by our family life conference in the evening and another music concert.
We are busily working on our pronunciation since most of what we sing will be in Spanish! The Argentine dialect is a little different to the regular Spanish
so we are adapting to that.
Please pray that we are used by God in a mighty way this week. The team is doing so well -- they are showing true servant's hearts and there is a great spirit
of unity with all. It is a privilege to have such a mature team representing Clearwater and the Lord here in Argentina.
I am looking forward to sharing more news of God's working down here. Pray we have the strength and stamina for all the programs and activities this week.
We are loving our time here!
~Dr. Craig Ralston
January 3
First, I just really want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. Prayer makes a huge difference, so please keep on praying! God blessed us
with another amazing day. This morning we went to "La Plaza", a beautiful, little park, where we passed out tracts. We passed out close to a thousand tracts.
It was an answer to prayer that so many people took the tracts. What a blessing it is to see someone walking away reading the good news of the gospel!
The music team ministered through song in hopes to draw people to where we were handing out the tracts. Then something amazing happened. An interviewer and
cameraman from a local news station happened to come to La Plaza and hear the music. They interviewed Amy Greenwood on camera. She not only had the chance to
explain the purpose of our team but most importantly, she gave the gospel. It was so exciting! The rest of our day was a great time of fellowship, fun, and
shopping. We went to Tigre, a handcraft market on the water. We are really enjoying experiencing the warmth of the culture and trying out whatever Spanish
we know. Please pray that we will have the mind of Christ and show His love as we minister in beautiful Argentina.
~Carla Royall
Today was an amazing day in Argentina. God has blessed in tremendous ways already in our few days here. This morning was especially exciting as we were
able to pass out tracts in "La Plaza", which is a park in the middle of the city. I was on the corner of the park handing out tracts with Sam and Hillary.
It was awesome that we were able to put Bible literature in the hands of people on the streets. Most of the people we tried handing tracts to took them
gratefully. There was one couple who even sat down on a park bench, read the tract, and then discussed it among themselves. It was so easy and actually
fun to hand out parts of God's Word on the streets. It was a rebuke to me to realize how easy it is to hand out tracts and yet I fail to do it at home.
What a good experience to start off our week of ministry! Thank you for praying and please keep doing so! The Lord is working in great ways!
~Alissa Birchard
Praise the Lord! God has been so gracious to us and has allowed us to witness His grace in our lives! We have already had several opportunities to share
the Gospel with people and invite them to several sacred concerts and services. Please continue to pray as we prepare for the music concerts, Vacation
Bible School, and other opportunities this next week. We have already been able to grow close and have been working very well together. Please pray for a
couple of things: One, pray for our physical and spiritual strength. Our schedule is very demanding and we are constantly moving. Pray for the language
barrier, and for the Gospel to be shared clearly. Last, pray for us as a team to be able to glorify God in everything we do. There are going to be many
challenges, but we have been called to a specific purpose and its our heart to fulfill that calling! Thank you for all your encouragements, please
continue to pray!
~Josh Hoag
January 2
Today was a really good day. After a much needed full night's sleep, we had the opportunity to play soccer with some kids
from the area. I'm hoping to get to play with them again and build relationships with them for the ministry here.
~Rebekah Nix
Today we had a relaxing day. We were able to spend a bit of time journaling before helping the Greenwoods in their yard and house. The food has been
amazing; Amy and her neighbors are amazing cooks! By this afternoon we were folding pamphlets for the church and then a few of us went to a futball field
and started a futball game in hopes of outreach to the Greenwood's neighbors. We played for a while and two neighborhood teens came out to play and another
talked with some of the girls and they said that they really enjoyed it! We had some good team bonding this afternoon after the futball game which was much
needed and very refreshing! Thank you so much for your continued prayers!
~Joanna Wiedeman
Today was absolutely amazing! We had so much fun today and were able to kick back and relax a bit too. We were able to do some projects for the Greenwoods
and we played soccer with some of the local kids and it was a great way to get to know them. I've had some of the best food ever since we've been here and
I am really having a good time. Thanks so much for the continued prayers!
~Charlie Wallace
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and your support for our team. Today was an interesting day. We heard the Greenwood's testimony and their
amazing story of how they came to be in Argentina. We were able to help them around their house and we had the opportunity to play with some of the
locals in futbol (a.k.a. soccer). Pray for the team to be able to make a positive impact in the Greenwood's neighborhood. Thank you again.
~Chad Rockefeller
January 1
WOW!!! What a trip we have had so far, and the best part is that the Lord has already answered our many weeks of prayers in so many ways.
It has played a crucial role in this trip, and it is one way which you too can participate in the Lord's work here in Argentina.
Specifically, please pray that the language barrier would not be an issue. For many of us, it will be difficult to communicate; therefore,
pray that the people will see a difference in us and want to know more about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Keep praying and Happy New Year!!!
~Hillary Bess
I want to thank you all for your prayers and support. It has been a great journey so far, though we are all extremely tired,
we're excited and anticipate what the Lord has for us these next two weeks. Please pray that the Lord humbles us as we work for Him in
Argentina. Thanks again for your prayers. Happy New Year everyone!
~Amanda Dunlap
After a long flight we landed this morning [December 31] around 7 Argentina time. We have already seen many blessings in just the first day of this trip.
One of the biggest in my opinion is the weather - it is unseasonably cool here, which is much better than the blistering heat we were told to
expect. Also the food has been great - can't complain about all you can eat steak. The real work starts in two days, so keep praying for us.
~Marco Wilson
We arrived safely and are having a fantastic time so far. Today and tomorrow are the chill days but soon things are going to get
pretty crazy and our time will be busy. Please be praying that the Lord will use our ministry here with the people. Thanks for all your
prayers and support thus far. I hope everyone is having a great break! Take care and Happy New Year!
~Sam Alldredge
December 31
Our trip to Argentina started with a call at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning from one of the leaders, Gary Smith, telling me that Lynn's (his wife and
also a sponsor) father had just died and they, along with Colleen (their 'adopted' daughter who is on staff at CCC) would not be on the trip. I was floored.
To lose 3 adults on the trip at this late stage was not in my plans. But I am thankful that they were not in Argentina when this happened and would have had
to fly back immediately.
Our 10 a.m. meeting was spent in prayer and then frantically re-packing since we had lost 3 people to take luggage. The Greenwoods (the missionaries we are with)
had asked us to bring 18 suitcases filled with things so we could not afford to have too many extra suitcases with our supplies as the airline charges $200 per
extra bag. We managed to re-pack down to one extra bag and headed off to the airport with some trepidation. Check-in was smooth and the agent allowed me to
check 3 without a charge! Since we were canceling 3 tickets due to a death she was kind and didn't even mention fees! PTL! We left for Atlanta and then
Buenos Aires without a hitch.
We arrived this morning in Buenos Aires. All the luggage came through and then customs (who can be sticky here) didn't even look at us as we passed through which
was another praise. James Greenwood met us. We changed money and took off in 3 vans for Pilar, their town north of Buenos Aires.
We were warned that the weather would be steaming hot but a cool front had come in, and we are enjoying a cool and windy day. We drove to
Pilar and checked into our guest house. The Nazarenes have an immaculate compound, part of which is a lovely European-style pension/hotel that they rent out
to Christians. It is full of charm and one of the nicest places I have every stayed on a missions trip! The students were in awe and are loving the extreme
comfort we have been afforded! We unpacked and took off for an all-you-can-eat lunch at Siga la Vaca (follow the cow!) which is a great restaurant with endless, pork,
chicken and beef! We ate plenty! The desserts (chocolate volcano the favorite) was worth it too. I tell you, these missionaries are fattening us before the
kill!
After a nap, we headed to James and Amy's house. They live in a lovely subdivision that looks like a park with huge trees everywhere, open fields, and beautiful
haciendas. Their house is older but full of character and suits their needs right now. It has a large yard that is surrounded by open land with no
neighbors close by. We are doing a New Years Eve concert at the club house (an octagonal building with great acoustics) after the fireworks at midnight.
This should be alot of fun. We are hoping that many of the neighbors will come out, so we can also promote our morning VBS here next week. We had a great
dinner of kebobs sitting under a canopy in the back yard. With the cool breeze and great sunset, we were all amazed at our quick transition and
the fellowship we can enjoy as we get started on an intense 11 day journey here in Pilar.
The Greenwoods are gracious hosts and very prepared for us. James even had a cooler of drinks for us in the van for our trip from the airport. Now THAT is being
prepared!
Please pray that we really facilitate their work here in Pilar. We have 2 VBS programs, a Family Life Conference, numerous music concerts, youth rallies,
canvassing etc. Pray this impacts the lives of the team members -- they are excited to be here and I trust God will really work in their hearts and lives
so that they are changed when they return to Clearwater.
I sorely miss Gary and Lynn -- it places an extra weight on my leadership but Carl Martin (of the Bible faculty) is here and helping greatly. Pray for Gary
and Lynn as they go through this week of arrangements for her father's funeral Saturday.
With eternity in view,
Dr. Craig Ralston
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