More and more responsibilities....we are loving it!

1-15-09 Day 48

Today we slept in since we had such a late night last night. In the afternoon we walked to Juan's house and talked with Floyd and got some things figured out, like how to put pictures on our blogspot. YEAH! Nathan then went with Floyd to unload bricks with Jorge and Pablo. It took them about 2 hours and they unloaded 1,000 bricks. About 9pm we walked back home.

1-16-09 Day 49

This morning we went to the post office to mail off a card and then at 10am we had another Spanish class with Delbert. They invited us to eat lunch with them of empanadas and corn on the cob. I was also able to talk to my mom on the phone. This evening for supper we had Jacob and Elizabeth over. After supper we ended up playing Rook until 11pm. Lots of fun!!

1-17-09 Day 50

This morning we got up early and ran to Jacob's house, lifted weights and then ran back home. Nathan then went over to Delbert and Frieda's house to mow their yard and I made peanut butter cookies while he was gone. You can't buy peanut butter here in the store, however the group from IL brought some and left a little here for us. The cookies turned out really good...yeah! This afternoon Nathan and I had a two hour discussion on what we are learning by being here. We were able to write a few things down and reflect on what God is teaching us. This was very beneficial for both of us. This evening we walked to the West zone for their youth meeting. It was a time of worship with the youth and then Elizabeth gave her testimony to the youth.

1-18-09 Day 51

Today we went to Paso Piedra to church with Delbert and Frieda. This is a small church congregation that is out close to many people chacra's. This is the church that we went to our first Sunday being here. We had a time of worship and then we ate breakfast together (cake & hot tea). After that Frieda asked Nathan and I to be in charge of the children in a room by ourselves while the adults listened to the sermon. We ended up showing them clips on the video camera of God's creation and then we played bato, bato, goose (duck, duck, goose). It was a little intimidating since we couldn't communicate very well with them but it was wonderful to have that kind of interaction. Delbert and Frieda then dropped us off at Juan's house. We had lunch with them and talked to Juan for awhile. In the evening we walked to the West zone for their church service. The devotion of the church members is humbling to me. When we got home we decided to go get helado at the Heladeria. Jacob joined us and we all talked together until 11pm or so. Nathan and I have been reading thru Revelation and have been discussing the seven churches that John talks about in Revelation. We discovered that Jacob and Elizabeth are also reading thru Revelation. The seventh church that is talked about in Revelation 3:14-22, the church of Laodicea is especially convicting to me.

1-19-09 Day 52
Many of the youth went to a camp retreat this week including Jacob and Elizabeth, so Nathan and I have more of a free week and its very welcomed. Jacob let us borrow his bike while he's gone this week and that's much appreciated as well. This morning at 8am we rode the bike to the North zone church building where Reuben (the pastor) and Billy (a congregation member) were working on the church building. My job was mostly to watch and serve mate (as it's not as socially acceptable for women to do those kinds of jobs) and Nathan got to learn how to mud walls (sling cement). The building is made out of bricks and on the inside of the building they cover it with cement-it acts like dry wall except it's a cement wall. Slinging cement is definently an art and looks alot easier than it really is. By the afternoon Nathan was getting really good at it. We were there from 8-11:30am and then went home for lunch and a siesta. Then we went back at 4pm and Nathan stayed until 7pm. This afternoon I ran there while Nathan rode the bike (good exercise) but I didn't stay the whole time. I ended up coming home. I did laundry and went to the grocery store while Nathan was gone.

1-20-09 Day 53

Today Nathan again went to work at the North zone church building. I cleaned up a little and read the Bible while he was gone. In the afternoon we went to the river for about an hour and a half and then Nathan went back to work and I went with Frieda to visit some ladies from the church.

1-21-09 Day 54

Today Nathan went back to work at the North zone church building. He's been working there everyday from 8-12 in the morning and the 3-7 in the afternoon. He's loving it and enjoying having some constructive work to do. Today it was him and Billy working. Billy mixed the cement and Nathan slung the cement. I was pretty impressed that in just 3 days he was left alone to do this by himself. We ate lunch at Delbert and Frieda's house today. This afternoon while Nathan was working I went with Frieda to visit an elderly lady who was having a birthday today. We talked with her awhile and then ended up down at the river talking with some other people. There were so many people at the river today. I guess that's what everybody does when the temperature is 104 degrees fehreheit. It's been hotter than hot here these last couple of days with no end in sight. It hasn't even cooled off in the evening as much. Tonight we went to the North zone for their evening service. It was good to have some more interaction with people today.

1-22-09 Day 55

This morning I went with Frieda to a lady's house who has a sewing room. All the equipment, materials, and crafts were amazing. My job was to take out the hem of a pillow that wasn't long enough. Some of the other ladies were working on the sewing machine or cutting material for a quilt pattern. This is a place that I would like to spend more time. This afternoon we went to the river with Vero from the West zone and her family. We ended up going back to her house and having supper with them about 10pm and then she took us home.

1-23-09 Day 56

Today Nathan worked at the North zone again and I was content at home reading my Bible. I ended up going to the North zone then to see what the guys were up to and the progress they were making. Half way there I noticed the back tire of the bike was flat, so once I got to the North zone Billy so graciously took it to a shop for us to get a new tube for the tire. This evening we went to the river again with Vero. It's been so warm and the water feels so good. Alot of people were there and it's a good place to interact with people and see familiar faces. This evening we went to Vero's house from the North zone for supper about 9:30pm. Pablo and Viviana were there also. It's really great to have more interaction with Vero since she will be coming to the States in Feb, March, & April. I am actually able to carry on simple conversations with people now and I am so very thankful for that.

1-24-09 Day 57

This morning Nathan worked at the North zone church building again just until noon. I went to the post office and mailed some letters and then did some shopping while Nathan was gone. This afternoon we took it easy and took a long siesta especially after Nathan worked all week. This evening Delbert and Frieda took us to visit Ami. She had just come home from being in Hopedale, IL with her oldest son for a month. We were able to talk with her about how her trip was and catch up a bit. We also had supper with her. This was definently a cherished time for us as we appreciate Juan and Ami's friendship very much. We talked to her from 10pm-1:30am and then ended up spending the night at their house.

1-25-09 Day 58

This morning we got up and Ami and Nathan and I got a taxi ride into town. The West zone and central zone were meeting together today in the central zone church building for sunday worship. It was a good time of worship together and hearing the Word preached by Rafael. This afternoon about 5pm Nathan and I walked to the Heladeria to get helado and then we spent a good hour and a half walking around part of Choele we hadn't seen yet. We ended up at Billy's house for awhile, where we talked with him and drank mate together. After that we walked around a little more because it wasn't quite time for church to begin yet. We ended up at Vero's house and talked with her a short while before we walked with her to the North zone church building for the service at 8:30pm. We watched a movie there and had popcorn. The movie was a t.v. evangelist giving the message. People from the church then asked us to come over to their house for supper. It was Alberto's family who asked us to eat with them. We were also able to see some of their pictures and we showed them the DVD of Galesburg. We didn't get home until 12:30am but we cherish the time we get to spend with people.

1-26-09 Day 59

Today was the beginning of me teaching English classes to children 4-8 years old. I waited until 10:30am but no one showed up. It's ok though, maybe I'll feel a little more organized by tomorrow morning. Nathan worked at the North zone all day today. This afternoon we visited with Jacob and talked with him about how his week at camp in Esquel went. He ended up eating supper with us.

1-27-09 Day 60

We have now been here for two months and the time is going so fast. Today I had three children show up for the English class. It goes from 9-11am and I had Gabi, Matheo, and Abril. We learned the body parts in English. We sang head and shoulders, knees and toes & If you're happy and you know it clap your hands. This afternoon Nathan and I worked on cleaning our apartment. I did lots of laundry and Nathan did lots of cleaning. It took us most of the afternoon but it was very rewarding after we were done.

1-28-09 Day 61

Today in the English class I taught the children colors in English. I had Abril, Josias, Nazarena, and Mariana. Four children showed up and we had great fun learning how to say colors in English. Nathan worked at the North zone church building today in the morning. This afternoon at 4pm Delbert took Nathan, Elizabeth and I to Juan's house. There we swam and visited with Juan and Ami. Then in the evening we went with them to the West zone church meeting. Nathan and I ended up walking home after that and we were very tired from a long day.

1-29-09 Day 62

Today we had the English class from 9-10:30am. Elizabeth has been helping me and that has been much appreciated. She is able to explain things to the children in Spanish so they understand what we are doing in English. Today we learned how to count in English. Much more difficult but definently fun!

Today we had Abril, Josias, Mariana & Nazarena. At 10:30am Nathan, Jacob, Elizabeth and I met with Juan to talk about SIMP. We prayed together and talked about the stages of development in the process of establishing a body of believers in a particular place. We sketched out IL and looked at how we are doing in towns that we have targeted as potential places of ministry. This afternoon Nathan and I walked down to the river and swam for awhile. There we met Vero and her family so we talked with them for awhile and drank mate with them. This evening Jacob and Elizabeth came over to our apartment. We had supper together and played Rook until about 11pm. It was very fun!

1-30-09 Day 63

Today was the last day for the English class for this week. We reviewed all that we learned this week and played some games. Josias, Nazarena, and Abril came today. Nathan spent the morning working at the North zone again. At 4pm Nathan, Elizabeth, Jacob and I took a taxi out to Juan's house. We had another SIMP meeting together. This evening at 9:30pm we went to Ezekiel's house (a youth from the West zone) to have a birthday celebration asado for Jacob. It was really fun to be invited to Jacob's party and celebrate with him.

1-2-09 Day 35
Today we woke up at 5:50 am and greeted the group from Illinois. I then went to the grocery store and bought breakfast for the group. After that I started making potato salad for lunch. I was in charge of making lunch for the whole group. We ate lunch about 1230pm in the central zone church building. After lunch we worshiped together for awhile and then Elizabeth explained to the group the schedule of events while they are here. Some of us walked down to the rio after that and swam for awhile. At 8pm we had lamb asado with Elizabeth's host parents-Humberto & Monica.
1-3-09 Day 36
Today we left for Darwin at 830am. This is the town the team from Illinois will be working in. The church building needs some more construction, so that is what we will be doing. My job today was to dig up weeds around the building and thorn bushes to make the yard look nicer. I also helped varnish brick. Nathan was helping on the roof and was also mixing cement. In the afternoon we all went to Juan's house to swim and have supper.
1-4-09 Day 37
Today all of the church zones met for worship together at the rio at 930am. It was such a beautiful day to worship the Lord outside in the beauty of creation. We packed a picnic lunch and ate at the rio and swam there in the afternoon. In the evening Nathan and I brought supper to the people from IL who are staying at Delbert and Frieda's house. We played cards and ate supper together.
1-5-09 Day 38
Today we worked in Darwim again. I varnished bricks mostly. We ate choriso's there in Darwin and then came home for a siesta. In the evening we went to the West zone chuch for their meeting. Andreas and Faviola talked for awhile (they are missionaries from C.O.) & Jeff and Ray talked awhile. We then ate supper there about 11pm and then walked home.
1-6-09 Day 39
Today we were in Darwin again. Nathan helped work on the roof and I varnished bricks. The girls then helped make lunch. Homemade spaghetti noodles and sauce with bread and salad. It was amazingly delicious. Muy rico!! Tonight we went to the North zone for worship and supper. I got to hold one of the church members baby. YEAH!
1-7-09 Day 40
We worked again in Darwin and are making good progress. There was alot of man power going on but not as much for the girls to do. Rebecca and I went to the house where the ladies were making lunch, so we helped out. We ate lunch and then came home and took a very short siesta. Then we went to Juan's house at 4pm. People swam, talked together and used the computer, etc. Tonight we walked to the South zone church for their time of worship and to eat supper together. We were able to make more connections with people tonight at the south zone and that felt very great.
1-8-09 Day 41
Our last day to work in Darwin and much has been accomplished on this building. It's great to see the fruit of our labor. Each morning we would start off with prayer and worship time and then work until noon or 1pm, eat lunch and then head home. It's been great to work along side brothers and sisters who will actually be doing ministry in this building. Tonight we had some free time, so Nathan and I cleaned up our apartment and packed for our mission trip we will take this weekend.
1-9-09 Day 42 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIZABETH!
This morning we all (18 of us....5 in a car and 13 in the van) packed up and headed south to Las Grutas. While we were there we were able to swim in the ocean for about three hours. The day was very warm and the ocean was crystal clear & very beautiful. After that we stopped for some icecream and then headed on to P.M. to eat supper with the missionaries who have started a good work in this city. We left there about midnight and made our way to S.G. to sleep for the nihgt. Miguel and Angela are the missionaries in S.G. and they had gone with us on our four day trip in December so it was great to see them again.
1-10-09 Day 43
Today we got up and Nathan discovered a scorpion right by our matress where we were sleeping last night. God protected us thru the night. God also gave Nathan a verse in his dreams last night- Matthew 5:3. Today we got up and had some free time. At 11am we worshipped together. There was lots of sharing and crying as the Holy Spirit ministered to each one of us right where we were at. The young people of our group shared why we chose to come to Argentina. This lasted until 1 or 1:30pm then Miguel and Angela made lunch for us. In the afternoon we walked down the road to the neighbors house to see a baby winaco. It was neat to be so close to a baby animal like that and we even got to bottle feed it. At 4pm we left S.G. for L.B which is a very small town out in the desert of the Patagonia-wtih nothing around. It took us 2 hours on a very dusty, bumpy road to get there. Once we were there we got settled in and had a time of worship and then went to bed. Before they went to bed they found another scorpion in the bathroom. Unfortunantly for me these are Nathan's new pets in a jar!
1-11-09 Day 44
Today we left L.B. and headed out on another very bumpy dirt road for another hour to Pa. There we worshipped with the small church that is starting there. Nathan and I had been here before so it was great to be able to go back and see people we had seen before. Nathan made friends with a little boy last time and this time was able to give him a soccer ball. After that we headed another hour on a bumpy dirt road to a small town called A.C. There we ate lunch with another team that had come from home. After we ate lunch with them we headed home for another 3.5 hours of traveling. On our way home the weather got stormy, rainy and very windy. It made me nervous driving in this kind of weather and after we passed a car wrapped around a telephone pole with emergency vehicles all around it confirmed my nervousness. However, God kept us safe and I was so thankful to be home after our long weekend of travel. In the evening at 7pm we went to the central building for all zones to worship together. Juan introduced the whole group from IL and Nathan and I were able to say to the whole congregation how we appreciate the friendships we have made thus far. We sang a couple of songs for them in English and then Ray gave the message that evening.
1-12-09 Day 45
This morning we did some laundry (back to washing it by hand) which took a good part of the morning. In the afternoon we walked to the south zone church building for lucnh and then in the afternoon 4:30-7pm we had a PMP partnership meeting with us from IL and the Mennonite pastors from surrounding towns here in Argentina. The IL group shared about what is happening in Galesburg and Mt. Vernon and the Argentine group shared about what is happening here with some of their outreaches. In the evening about 9pm some of us walked to a nice restaurant in town for supper. It was really fun to be with the IL group and to be able to talk more with them.
1-13-09 Day 46
This morning all of us went shopping around town. This was the first time I had been in so many shops here. I definently felt more like a tourist today. After we went shopping Jeff, Cindy and kids came over for lunch with us and then after lunch we took a siesta. This evening at 8pm we all went back to Darwin for a service of dedication for the church building that we were able to help finish and construct last week. They even showed pictures of the very beginning of construction and then pictures of last week when we helped continue the construction. We sang together, Rafael had some words about the history of the church buiding in Darwin and we took pictures of the team of people that were helping last week. After that we ate supper together and then went home about 12:30am
1-14-09 Day 47
Today is the last day that the team from IL will be here and we spent a good part of it resting and recouperating from such a fast pace. Nathan said he's ready to get back to the Argentine pace of life when the IL team is gone. We've definently been quite busy these last two weeks with familiar people around. This evening everyone met in the central church building for a time of worship and farewell to the IL group. There were lots of hugs and lots of good byes said. We ate a light supper with them and then walked to the bus station to see the IL group off. Their bus was supposed to leave at 11:20pm however the bus was running late and didn't show up until 1:00am, so needless to say we were tired and ready to go to bed after saying good bye the the IL group. It was so great having them here for the last two weeks and much was accomplished for the glory of God while they were here. What a privledge to be a part of the good work that God is doing here.

EVERYTHING is different here!

Everything is different here and rightfully so. When you go to a new place you don´t know quite what to expect and when you leave your world-view is different in many ways. I´ve experienced that already in just the short time we´ve been here. I would like to try to explain how things are different here. Once you live in a place for awhile the differences seem to disapear or seem to become not so different anymore but nonetheless there are many differences living here than in the states.

#TRASH & DOGS: There is quite a bit of trash all over the streets. The youth from the church have made an effort some saturdays to clean up trash. This is very commendable. Also the sidewalks and town is full of stray dogs-where there are stray dogs there is lots of doggy poop.

#TRAFFIC: The streets don´t have stop signs and the town had two stop lights. Where the streets intersect adn there in no stop light, and no stop signs the first vehicle to the intersection goes first. If two cars come to an intersection at the same time, the car on the right has the right away. Most vehicles don´t have seat belts in the back seat and I haven´t yet seen a child strapped in or in a car seat. It´s not uncommon to see whole families (dad, mom, and child) riding on a moped or motorcycle. Even if the child is sleeping the dad drives the moped and the mom holds the child. There are also quite a few four wheelers that people drive around town.

#EXCHANGE RATE: The exchange rate is approx. 3,34 pesos for ever $1 dollar. The exchange rate changes on a regular basis, but right now it´s really good. It would be alot harder for someone from Argentina to come to the states than it would be for someone from the states to come to Argentina, financially speaking. In the Argentine money system they also don´t have one cents. So if I go to the store and pay for groceries and are supposed to get $3,37 back in change, they will either give me 3,35 or 3,40 back.

#WORK DAY: The Argentine work day is much different than we are used to in the states. The work day is approximately from 830am to 1pm and then most people go home for lunch and a siesta (nap) and then go back to work from 530pm to 10pm and then go home to eat supper at about 11pm. Even the school kids go home for lunch in the afternoon and go back to school in the evening for a couple more hours. Family life and work life are intertwined here. It´s not like in the states where you get your work done all in 8 hours or so and then go home and have family time.....both are a constant state.

PACE OF LIFE AND CONDITIONS: The pace of life is much slower here than in the states so also is the sanitary conditions. The other day at the grocery store I saw the deli person cut the lunch meat without gloves, lick his fingers and go back to cutting the meat. When eating at someone´s house people share cups and plates, etc. At a meal most of the time there isn´t a utensil in the dish for people to dish out of, you just use your own fork or spoon that you´ve been eating off of. Things like this bother me more than they do Nathan. It´s so ingrained in me to be sanitary in all ways.

CHURCH: The Mennonite Church is divided into four zones (North, South, West, and Central). The people go to the church building that is closest to where they live (their natural habitat) to worship. On Sunday evenings all of the zones come together in the central church building (the biggest church building by far) to have a corporate worship time. Not all of the zones have a completely finished building but that doesn´t matter. There is also no church bulletin or a prescribed order of worship. It´s led by the Holy Spirit according to what the H.S says to do each Sunday. Many of the people in worship feel free to sit or stand according to what the spirit tells them to do and raise their hands or kneel on the floor according to what the spirit tells them to do. I had a conversation the other day with another gal from the states that has been here much longer than I have. I was wondering why the church feels much freer here to do what the spirit tells them in worship and in the states it feels like the church has a more prescribed order of worship and we are told what to do. She explained in like this... there are two different kinds of worship (intellectualism & emotionalism). The states churches run more on intellectualism because there are many well educated people in the churches in the states. Here the churches run more on emotionalism (what feels good or right). I have come to the conclusion that for the Holy Spirit to move and work in peoples lives BOTH are needed....intellectualism and emotionalism. I´m still trying to understand this fully but it is a real challenge for me to think about.

ENVIRONMENT: It´s summer here right now and can get quite hot, however it´s a dry heat, not a humid heat, mostly. It also hardly ever rains here, so many people water their plants, sidewalks, paths, dirt, roads, etc. Everything gets watered here. In the winter it can get quite cold however it would be very very rare for them to get snow. The hole in the ozone layer is not a myth and is very much felt here with the summer being so hot. A local told me that the sun wasn´t this hot 20 years ago and it keeps getting worse.

DAILY LIVING: The toilet and shower in many houses (including our apartment) are all in one area. After taking a shower you have to squeegee down the floor, so that it´s not slippery for someone to use the toilet. Also after going to the bathroom the toilet paper can´t be flushed down the toilet, it gets put in trash can next to the toilet and taken out with the trash later. The trash man comes almost everyday to pick up garbage. Most people outside their houses have a small basket on a long pole where they put their trash. This is mostly so the stray dogs don´t get the trash and spread it all over the town. The food is also different here. Most of it is bland kind of foods. Some popular foods are asado (kind of like grilled meat), empanadas (like cresant rolls with eggs, meat mixture inside), melanasa (a flat piece of meat that is breaded), papas (potatoes of any kind), gaseosas (soda which is drank with almost every meal).

CUSTOMS: The culture is very warm here. When you encounter a person the first thing they will probably do is give you a kiss on the cheeck and ask you how you are doing. If you spend any time with a person you most likely will also be offered yerba mate (pronounced mahteh). This is a kind of a tea and can be drank cold or hot, with water or with juice. Almost everyone drinks it regularly.

I´m sure there are many more differences but these are some of the main ones that we are experiencing on a regular basis. I hope this helps you become more familiar with the Argentine life.

Happy New Year!

12-29-08 Day 31
Today we had another SIMP meeting at 8am. We shared and prayed together. These times have become some of our treasured times here. In the evening we went to the central zone for the prayer meeting. At the meeting it was three American youth, two Argentina youth and Floyd & David. We sang and worshipped in English and Spanish. It was really wonderful! This is the most English we´ve had in a worship service since being here. We were so thankful for that.
12-30-08 Day 32
Today Nathan & I had Jacob, Elizabeth, Kira, and Veronica over for lunch. The goal for this meal was to try to find some american tasting food. We had chicken nuggets, french fries, potato salad, and apple crisp. In the afternoon we played rook and worked on our puzzle together. We were also able to talk to Jacob and Kira for quite awhile about faith issues. This evening Nathan and I went to the North zone church for their evening service. It´s wonderful to see how each zone (North, South, West, & Central) ¨do¨ their church services. The north building has been many years in the making. They already have quite a bit of the new building constructed and are using it even though it´´s not completely done. There is no roof on it or windows yet, but it´s a great building. Also in the future part of the building will be a daycare center. This really interests me. The church will have a daycare ministry to the community.
12-31-08 Day 33
Today, this morning at about 930am we ran to the house where Jacob is staying and lifted weights with him. His host dad has a weight bench and such. It was a good workout. We then ran home and had lunch. This afternoon I took a siesta and got up and made apple crisp to take to Juan´s house for this evening. This evening at about 745pm Juan picked us up to be with him and a few other families for a new year´s eve celebration. We ate asado at about 11pm and rang in the new year with toasts, fireworks, and talking. HAPPY 2009!!!!
1-1-09
There is a work team of ten people coming tomorrow morning from Illinois. This team along with all of us that are already here will be working in a town 10 kilometers away to work on a church building project. We will be working on this in the mornings of saturday, monday, tuesday, wednesday, and thursday of next week. The following weekend we will be taking a mission trip with the group from IL. There are many things planned while they are here, so we will be busy for the next couple of weeks. These are friends of ours so we are very excited to see them. I´ve been washing sheets and making beds for the anticipation of thier arrival. I also am in charge of making lunch for tomorrow for the group, so today I´m also preparing for that. It´s a pure joy to be in charge of certain things and to be given responisbilities. So many days here we´ve had very little responisbility and have had much free time. Responsibility and free time in a balance are good and I am thankful for both.