It occurred to me today that I FEEL as if I have been here for…well…so long I can’t remember! Not much down time really…and not having much time alone with my husband has been…lacking. Gary and I discussed this a bit with Rich who totally understood and encouraged us to do so if we needed to. That is good to know, but just being able to express seemed to make it bearable.
Today was another day of prayer walking, but in a different area. Gary and I were with Rich today. His neighborhood was suppose to be a bit more…economically challenged. As like the day before, we walked the neighborhood and prayed for the people that Rich and Jill have begun relationships with, called contacts.
We also walked near/around the villa miseria, village of misery. This is a very poor, extremely poor area. The homes are huts, or shacks…trash is everywhere…just terrible, terrible conditions. It is difficult to try and explain what I saw…to me…it was depressing…unbelievable if I hadn’t been looking at it with my own eyes. What is it that God wants me to take away from this? How do you help these people? Pray, pray, pray for the Lord to move them…toward our team members. My eyes were opened to the difficult task before Team La Plata.
After merienda and siesta, we drove with Rich to take Anna and Norma home. These are the two ladies who have been cooking for us while we have been here. The drive was 45 minutes towards Buenos Aires. I was realizing how awkward it felt to me not to be able to speak to them. I wanted to express how much I appreciated their hard work to feed all of us and how delicious the food was. In my mind I went through all the questions I wanted to ask them. We arrived at the church Iglesia De Esperanza, where these women attended service. They invited us in and showed us around. It appeared to have been a basic one large room with a back room that served as a kitchen. Anna showed us the additions; a nursery, a library, a children’s classroom, banos (restrooms) and an office. It was wonderful to see how God was providing for them. In such an impoverished area they were growing!! God is so good! When we were getting ready to leave Norma and Anna hugged/kissed us goodbye. Let me tell you…I have NEVER felt a hug like the hug I received from Anna. We couldn’t speak with words, but our hearts (at least mine) were speaking the same language. We share the same God and He was showing me that I didn’t need to speak her language to show her love and to share our faith. Her hug touched me…
We got home and had a session to decompress from the day. We talked about things that struck us, bothered us, whatever we needed to process what we had experienced during the day.
Dinner was fabulous of course, milanese de pollo (breaded flattened chicken cutlets with ham and cheese) and Russian potato salad. For dessert…we walked to the ice cream shop…I had dulce de leche con banana. OK…very yummy!
Tomorrow is the Hora Feliz…big day.
Please pray for Team La Plata…these wonderful people have sacrificed much to be here…they aren’t complaining…but I see the pain of not being able to be with family or friends that they love and who may need them. They need our encouragement…they need our prayers, our support.
OK..I am signing off…til tomorrow!
Coming home to your BIG home, comfy couches, large (freshly cut) yard, paved roads, grocery stores, cable television, hot showers, electricity, and well-fed pets will have a whole new perspective to you. I bet it all sounds almost foreign to you right now?! I’m excited to hear what is happening down there and what you are seeing, smelling, touching, and thinking. The God who we worship here in America is the Same God to those people in Argentina. I love that. He is so stinkin’ big and awesome. Praying for you guys.