Outreach in Santa Fe, Argentina

Hi!

I'm back here after a while! The outreach is over and I'm back in Buenos Aires. Tomorrow we'll have the graduation of our Counseling School. Time have gone so fast and I'm just so thankful for God for everything He's done. 

But now, let's see a little bit what happened during the first three weeks of our outreach. 

As I wrote before, our plans to go to Cuba were cancelled. But in the same time God opened another door to go to the Province of Santa Fe in Argentina. So that's where we started our outreach on the 15th of January.

Our team leaders were Oswaldo (El Salvador) and Mayra (Colombia). The school mates with me were Alanna (New Zealand), Raiza (Colombia) and Cecy (Argentina) who joined us one day later. 

The bus to Santa Fe took like five ours. When we got to the terminal the people from the church were already waiting for us. They took us to the place we stayed the three weeks: a big camping outside the city. 

The population of the province of Santa Fe is 3 200 000 and 400 000 of them live in the capital city which is also called Santa Fe. The church we were working in was a big church and had many annexes, smaller Christian communities under it.

The first week we're preparing the camping to receive the huge youth camp. So we did what we know by hard: work duties. We cleaned the bathrooms from the bugs and spiders, built tens of bunk beds, cleaned the kitchen, washed the floors as well as possible. 

During this youth camp of 200 young people we didn't have so much planned schedule but we helped with ministration when possible. Also they asked to lead some games and so we did in two afternoons. God also used us to personal discipleship and ministration and also the youth leaders sent people to us when the noticed that they didn't have tools to help the people with heavy problems. 

After the first week we got really sick, as I wrote before. The water from the well + all the food we ate + hundreds of flies around... made us end up to a hospital. Alanna and Mayra were really week, but I wasn't much stronger either. So for the first time in my life they put me the intravenous drip (three times) and I ended up sleeping in the hospital. 

The health care is free in Argentina and this hospital was actually really nice. But I can't say I liked the experience. After this event we took more care with our water and dishes and stayed well the rest of the time. 

The following weeks we were preaching and teaching in different annexes, the small churches under the mother church. The people were mostly open to our teachings, but sometimes the spiritual atmosphere was REALLY heavy and there was something that made it hard for the people to receive.

I can't remember that I'd preached before in any church... But this time I preached twice in SPANISH..! I also translated Alanna from English to Spanish twice! These were big steps of faith but God was faithful and helped me. I spoke about the intimacy with God and forgiveness. The following time was in a prison and it was something I won't forget easily.

Inside this prison there is many pavilions of about hundred people. Today one of the pavilions is almost totally Christian. That means that most of the prisoners in this pavilion have converted to Christ during their time in the prison! Every day they have a meeting and most of the prisons take part. So I was totally surprised when I entered into this place and saw happy and internally FREE men! It was an honor to preach to this audience and they listened every word I said. They were also really open to receive prayer and discipleship after the preach. That's amazing right?

There was also another camp during our time in Santa Fe. This camp was for the adolescents. We were asked once again to lead some games and also to have two drama workshops. It ended up well.

During the three weeks we also had opportunities to visit different families, to eat well and also encourage and disciple the broken people. Even though we didn't have lots of plans beforehand we were able to see how God used us. 

Reasons to give thanks:

- For our health

- For the revival in Santa Fe and the prisons

- How God used us

Pray for Santa Fe:

- More committed people to work in the churches

- against the sexual abuse - we found out is a strong problem in this area

- For the families to stay together and raise up their children in good environment

Thank you for your support and prayers!

I wish I'll be able to post more soon so you can hear about the rest of the outreach!

slight changes

Things change - God stays the same. One door closes - God opens another one!

Unfortunately we were not able to made it till Cuba as the whole team. We would like to go later, but it's not possible for the people receiving us in Cuba. However God opened another door from the province of Santa Fe here in Argentina!

Tomorrow morning we'll take a bus and after seven hours we'll find ourselves from Santa Fe! We'll be teaching in a big youth camp. In Santa Fe the people have just a great need of the words of affirmation and love. Together with the local leaders we wana meet this need with biblical counseling, teaching and the ministration of the Holy Spirit. Sounds awesome, right!? Haha, and I didn't even mention yet the swimming pool they have at the camp...

After three weeks we'll head to the city of San Clemente at the coast of Argentina as we planned before. The outreach will finish in the beginning of March.

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God has really surprised with His favor and faitfulness! I'm just so thankful for every single person who has supported me financially or promised to pray for me. I just feel so loved by people and by God!

I don't know if I'll be able to update anything during the outreach. But surely I will upload lots ot photos later, ok?

Good bye YWAM Bs As Capital! See you soon!

Reasons to worship:

• The financial miracle I have received
• Every single person who's praying for me
• God opened the door to Santa Fe!

Reasons to pray:

• Wisdom and fluent Spanish for the teachings we'll give & creativity for the dramas I must prepare
• Strength and patience for every moment of the outreach
• For my personal life. God's confronting me with really fundamental things. Please pray for this heavy process!

There is freedom

This week of the counseling school was just amazing! We finished the identity classes and moved into the ministration time. 

Basically all of us shared to the fellow school mates and leaders a bit (or a bit more) about our backgrounds and what God had been revealing during these first weeks. Then we received prayer. 

Holy Spirit was totally ministering all of us and we were just able to see His power! Even the appearance of each one of us changed during the ministration and the rest of the base was able to notice the change! :D

Of course the week was also heavy. Each of us was being ministered at least an hour and a half. Sometimes the spiritual atmosphere got really heavy when the enemy was exposed. But as the children of God we fight from the victory that we already have. So the darkness needed to step away from the real light.

God spoke me personally so much during this week. We as students were praying for each others and receiving words of encouragement, wisdom and prophecy or whatever Holy Spirit laid on our hearts. I was happy to notice that Holy Spirit wanted to use me a lot to bless others! It's just something I love to do!

But this week was such a week of freedom. As a group we are way much closer now and God released so much joy over us. 

Well, this is just the beginning. There's still so much more to learn, to receive, to mature. It needs time and work but more than anything a intimate relationship with the Father.

Arnulfo's birthday party

We do have homework!

Every Sunday to the church!

Few words about my residence. Basically I'm still waiting for one lacking document.  They first told me it should be ready in 15 days. But well, the day after tomorrow it will be one month since I've been waiting. I already lost one turn to the Immigrations but I'll have a new one on Tuesday the 23rd. Please pray with me that the last document would be ready soon and that I wouldn't need to make the other documents again because of this delay.


Praise God!

• for the miracles he did and the healing we received

• for my health. (something bit me or something and my face was partly swollen for few days! Now it's much better!)

Let's pray for:

• my residence

• the finances for the school and for the outreach